tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21172418841011986362024-03-19T09:58:10.350+00:00Flower TalesA journey through floral diversityAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-59535353914095201372017-02-15T14:33:00.000+00:002017-05-24T14:03:43.323+01:00The Clever Lever<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-align: justify;">Since early times </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Salvia </i><span style="text-align: justify;">has been related to healing problems in human health; its very scientific name derives from the Latin </span><i style="text-align: justify;">salvus </i><span style="text-align: justify;">which translates to </span><i style="text-align: justify;">safe </i><span style="text-align: justify;">referring to its medicinal properties. In the Americas, </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Salvia </i><span style="text-align: justify;">is known not only for its medicinal but also for spiritual properties. For instance, </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Salvia divinorum</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> (also known as sage of the seers) is popular for its use in shamanism by the Mazatecs. Traditionally it is used during spiritual healing sessions, when the shamans need to go deep in the supernatural world to discern the cause of the patient’s state. After consuming the herb, the shaman travels in visionary states of consciousness that will concede the steps to cure the patient. Believe it or not, it definitely sounds like a fascinating experience. But as a flower morphologist, there are some other particularities that I would also classify as fascinatingly interesting. And yes, I am obviously talking about floral structures, one in particular that has changed the whole evolutionary path of </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Salvia</i><span style="text-align: justify;">.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>Traditional Mazatec Shaman ceremony with <i>Salvia
divinorum</i></b><br />Source: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/salvia-velada-mazatec-shaman-ceremony-portfolio-v23n8</span></td></tr>
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<i>Salvia </i>is a widely distributed genus of nearly 1000 species, all of which share a unique pollination strategy known as the staminal lever mechanism. Like almost any member of Lamiales, the number of stamens varies from two to five in different species. In fact, there is a tendency in this group for a reduction or complete absence of the posterior stamens (i.e., stamens at the top) as a consequence of bilateral symmetry (learn more <a href="http://flower-tales.blogspot.pt/2011/12/mid-night-horror-story.html">here</a>). However this doesn’t seem to affect pollination efficiency, and there are many examples of pollination strategies where flowers tend to package their pollen or develop complex structures to restrict pollen collection in a single flower visit.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Flower diversity in <i>Salvia</i></b></span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span></span></h4>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">Sources: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/" target="_blank">Flickr </a>(1, 3, 4, 5), <a href="http://flora-on.pt/" target="_blank">Flora-on</a> (2), <a href="http://flowersinisrael.com/" target="_blank">Flowers in Israel</a> (6)</span></span></span></span></h4>
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In <i>Salvia</i>, flowers have only two stamens, and the stamen’s connective which separates the thecae of each anther becomes elongated. This elongation of the stamen connective varies in length from species to species, and it is this abnormal length of the stamen connective that allows the formation of a lever mechanism. And this lever mechanism is considered to be a key innovation since it created a very effective pollination artifice for which <i>Salvia </i>is best known.</div>
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But how exactly does this mechanism work? </div>
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What happened in the course of evolution of the <i>Salvia </i>androecium is that the posterior thecae of each stamen became unfertile and both fused together, creating a structure called the lower lever arm. This structure is centrally located on the base of the corolla’s entrance, whereas the fertile thecae stay on the upper lip of the corolla. When a nectar seeking pollinator enters the flower, it compresses the lower lever arm, and the fertile thecae immediately deposit the pollen on the back of the pollinator.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;"><b>Evolution of the staminal lever in <i>Salvia</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;"><b>1</b> – Ancestral state of androecium morphology in <i>Salvia</i> (generalized
trend within tribe Mentheae); <b>2</b> – Funcional loss of the posterior stamens; <b>3</b>
and <b>4</b> – Elongation of connective tissue between both thecae; <b>5</b> – functional
abortion and fusion of both posterior thecae, the lower lever arm is formed!; Picture:
<a href="https://academic.oup.com/aob/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/aob/mcl176" target="_blank">Walker & Sytsma 2006</a> </span></div>
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The pollen deposition systems are highly precise in <i>Salvia </i>species with a high level of specialization to different pollinators, and even to different parts of the body of the same species of bee (learn more <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S143960920400039X">here</a>). This has driven the evolution and radiation of the entire genus. This radiation is the reason why the lever mechanism is considered to be a key innovation – because it lead to a boom of diversification.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b style="font-size: 12.8px;">Examples of pollen deposition systems in <i>Salvia</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b>A</b>: Pollen transfer in <i>Salvia pratensis</i>; top picture is a scheme of the mechanism of the lever; bottom left picture shows a pollinator entering a young flower to access the nectar, pushing the lever (in black) and triggering pollen loading on its back; bottom right picture show a later stage of the same flower, in which the style (in black) takes the position of the stamens (not represented here) and the insect deposits the pollen collected in another flower of the same species on the stigma of this one; Picture: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ode.2004.01.004">Claßen-Bockhoffet al 2004</a>; <b>B</b>: Pollen transfer in <i>Salvia lanceolata </i>– to access the nectary (<b><i>n</i></b>), the pollinator (<i>Nectarinia chalybea</i>) pushes the lever arms (<i><b>pc</b></i>) and the thecae (<b><i>t</i></b>) at the anterior connective arms (<i><b>ac</b></i>) move down to deposit the pollen on the bird’s head, <b><i>j</i></b> is the joint between filament and connective that enable this movement; Picture: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcm036">Wester & Claßen-Bockhoff 2007</a></span></div>
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Of course, as all <i>Salvia</i>’s share this unusual pollination syndrome that relies on such a complex staminal structure, botanists used to believe that <i>Salvia </i>only speciated after the evolution of the staminal lever. That <i>Salvia </i>was monophyletic (i.e. shared a common ancestor) and the staminal lever evolved only once. But it’s a trap! Recent studies have actually revealed that <i>Salvia </i>is actually polyphyletic (i.e., the lever arm evolved many times). Thus, what we classified as a single genus in the past is actually four distinct evolutionary lineages that have evolved in parallel (learn more <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1055790316304857">here</a>). Though I still find it hard to believe such structure evolved so many times, this proves we botanists, have alot to learn about plant evolution. But isn’t it wonderful to know there is still so much to learn?!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-89599553605822090042015-12-24T00:30:00.000+00:002017-05-23T18:45:06.028+01:00Cyathium, the astounding performer <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
“<i>What is the cyathium, this astounding performer?</i>” wondered
León Croizat in his “On the classification of <i>Euphorbia</i>” (1937).</div>
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The (literally) most beautiful <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E. pulcherrima</i>
(from the latin <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pulcher</i> / <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pulcherra</i> = beautiful; <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pulcherrimum</i> / <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pulcherrima</i> = the most beautiful), stars in this festive season. It
seems to be therefore an appropriate occasion to unfold the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia</i> topic. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The story of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.
pulcherrima </i>begins from a very far distance to Christianity or Christmas
traditions. The plant is native to Mexico, and has been well known to the
Aztecs who used it to make red dye and as a fever cure. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild <i>Euphorbia pulcherrima</i> in Mexico. <br />
Picture: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/85443170@N06/" target="_blank">Mark E. Olson</a></td></tr>
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It was only in 1825 that it was first brought to the US by
the ambassador Joel Roberts Poinsett – hence their common name, Poinsettia. Its
undeniable extravagance due to the vibrant contrast between the intense red
bracts and the deep green leaves rapidly made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E. pulcherrima</i> a popular species in horticulture. Being a December bloom,
it soon became a favourite in Christmas decorations, which very much increased
its popularity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joel Roberts Poinsett</td></tr>
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The structure of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia</i>
flowers is a trend topic in botany classes because of their striking strangeness.
This striking strange appearance is assigned to their being strikingly simple
and complex at the same time. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia </i>flowers
are actually too simple to be called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">complex</i>
for the complexity does not lie in the flower itself, but on the organization
of flowers within the inflorescence. It is so exquisite and unique that they
gained a name for themselves – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cyathium</i>.
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The structure of <i>Euphorbia </i>cyathium<br />
Source: <a href="http://euphorbiaceae.org/">Euphorbiaceae.org</a><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><br />The cyathium is derived from a cymose-type inflorescence, and consists of a terminal female flower surrounded by prophylls (bracteoles) subtending the male flowers and forming the involucrum. Each flower consists of a single organ, so female flowers consist of a single pistil with the very typical 3-locular ovary (three carpels) and bifid styles, and male flowers consist of a single stamen. As there are no petals or sepals associated to the flowers, the cyathium develops bracts (cyathophylls) and large nectar glands for pollination purposes.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 8.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Cyathium of <i>Euphorbia pulcherrima</i>.
Picture: <a href="http://marcperkins.photoshelter.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #d5a6bd; text-decoration-line: none;">Marc Perkins</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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But the cyathium structure is itself diverse, after all <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia</i> is a huge genus with around
2500 described species scattered around the globe (!!) – no wonder diversity is
enormous. Some species (e.g., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E. milii</i>)
have single cyathia with their own cyathophylls (two per cyathium). Others
(e.g., <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E. albomarginata</i>) have glands
with petaloid appendages, resembling the classic structure of angiosperm flowers.
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E. pulcherrima</i>, on the other hand, forms
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">synflorescences</i>, which in botanical
language simply means a group of inflorescences (botanists really fancy throwing
complicated names just because). So, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">E.
pulcherrima</i> forms cyathia lacking cyathophylls, which are grouped in
synflorescences; therefore the red bracts so characteristic of poinsettias are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not </i>cyathophylls. Some authors don’t
even consider these as being bracts, but simply as leaves that turn color, so
you may find them described as bracteate leaves… <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left picture: <i>Euphorbia milii</i> (Source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/subin_92/" target="_blank">Subhin</a>)<br />
Right picture: <i>Euphorbia albomarginata</i> (Source: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/centavo/" target="_blank">Jason Penney</a>)</td></tr>
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I could continue endlessly writing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Euphorbia</i>s, but before getting too extended
on the subject, I shall stop this post at once to wish all readers a fantastic
holiday and a 2016 blooming with happiness.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEIiYAQcU8HECJsswOwiyv-KFpt8cAucxspmoLvR58xl8A1E7rpMXTCKjRQ1npug-Z7LpqgtDr8tQ6VHFbjoTOYoz63dMF1iNhG6XyahPxpaRTzbxQXQc7zb-dUl-P3deOamMp69D5vw/s1600/FlowerTales_FinalXmas.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDEIiYAQcU8HECJsswOwiyv-KFpt8cAucxspmoLvR58xl8A1E7rpMXTCKjRQ1npug-Z7LpqgtDr8tQ6VHFbjoTOYoz63dMF1iNhG6XyahPxpaRTzbxQXQc7zb-dUl-P3deOamMp69D5vw/s640/FlowerTales_FinalXmas.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/paulinebrock/" target="_blank">Pauline Brock</a></td></tr>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com366tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-66907379195352951932015-11-05T23:51:00.000+00:002015-11-18T21:27:12.794+00:00Putting all eggs in one basket<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-indent: 36.0pt;">
When competition
is high, plants have to be creative to explore the diversity of the available potential
pollinators. Not all pollinators are attracted to fruity, sweet scents and
flavours; some flies, for example, feed and lay their eggs on flesh of rotting
animals, thus the smell of fresh carcasses are a temptation for these flies! Flowers,
pliant as they are, can imitate this smell, deceiving the hungry flying
creatures to the illusive corpse feast. I could name a few species of plants
with this kind of strategy, but for now I will focus on one species – the titan
arum, a plant from Sumatra (Indonesia) famous for being ridiculous on both size
and smell – the kind of eccentricity that like to grow in tropical rainforests.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_YAhiFOvOumNOcF0C9TDFSgoh0Rz9-YZLEH2t_nru4SODAP7ap-fQDPY6YWtSCvl1BInBGgSnBerbRiVHLtInNBq0Hs3b35Frk0RPynSRFA6F5_CNl6O-Q6Auv1myKbMuKeedzlgB6Y/s1600/Arum+Sumatra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn_YAhiFOvOumNOcF0C9TDFSgoh0Rz9-YZLEH2t_nru4SODAP7ap-fQDPY6YWtSCvl1BInBGgSnBerbRiVHLtInNBq0Hs3b35Frk0RPynSRFA6F5_CNl6O-Q6Auv1myKbMuKeedzlgB6Y/s640/Arum+Sumatra.jpg" width="529" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two titan arums in Sumatra, early 1900's. The inflorescence (right) can reach over 3 metres in height, whereas the leaf (left) can reach up to 6 metres tall!</td></tr>
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<o:p> </o:p><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">Titan arum, </span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">Amorphophallus titanum </i><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">(Araceae) does
have the largest inflorescence described so far. Yes, </span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">that</i><span style="text-indent: 36pt;"> is not a flower, but a </span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">pseudanthium</i><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">.
A pseudanthium is defined to be an inflorescence that mimics a flower, thus the
flowers are usually very small and strategically packed in compact
inflorescences. In Araceae, the structure that bears the flowers is called a
spadix, which is generally enclosed in a big showy bract – the spathe. Interestingly,
the visible part of the spadix is not fertile, and acts as an osmophore, essential
for an effective pollination in this family of plants. It is here where this fetid
(but magic) pollination story starts: the osmophores (floral fragrance glands)
produce the smell, which will attract all sorts of flies and beetles. Of course
the smell has to be really intense to reach vast distances in a tropical forest,
so the spadix also produces a great deal of heat (up to 40ºC in </span><i style="text-indent: 36pt;">A. titanum</i><span style="text-indent: 36pt;">!), which is believed to help
convey the scent further. Isn’t it fascinating?!</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvilfKz3tv5MGbnSnenN3jvvmv5H_X94-nXgVi0POqKHg1RRe9W1ErBYiyx3FIBBtLM2bga1EBSY3KsQ1btzBaY22PNElpSWDb1Aj7dnQv33cE3p1LAOGu2dNlwLfmXR8A-wMN_suCEo/s1600/Arum2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlvilfKz3tv5MGbnSnenN3jvvmv5H_X94-nXgVi0POqKHg1RRe9W1ErBYiyx3FIBBtLM2bga1EBSY3KsQ1btzBaY22PNElpSWDb1Aj7dnQv33cE3p1LAOGu2dNlwLfmXR8A-wMN_suCEo/s400/Arum2.jpg" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The inflorescence is formed by the spadix and a big bract called spathe. <br />
Photo: David A. Purvis (<i>New Reekie</i> in bloom at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, June 2015)</td></tr>
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The fertile
parts of the spadix (the flowers) are hidden by the spathe in a space called
floral chamber. Araceae are known for being really good hosts for theirs
pollinators: once the visitors arrive, they sneak into the floral chamber where
they can spend a peaceful night, protected from night dangers and feed their
bellies with some pollen. Meanwhile, they hang around on flowers, obviously
some of that pollen gets attached to their bodies and carried away to the next
pseudanthium the following morning. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFBU3ED-PUGsYAPBy8UZ-g3ijKq2meq8_Z3WkgxTNIrIwVPzy-T9WtVXO-zm_1yPPNO-8ioVH12ES_qTy-ASMfAS6gea6z0GZbtBvlNmyp7yBU1_0fLnRU-acuFNnvuMsT2nLbrOJXds/s1600/https%253A%253A%253Awww.flickr.com%253Aphotos%253A21272638%2540N06%253A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDFBU3ED-PUGsYAPBy8UZ-g3ijKq2meq8_Z3WkgxTNIrIwVPzy-T9WtVXO-zm_1yPPNO-8ioVH12ES_qTy-ASMfAS6gea6z0GZbtBvlNmyp7yBU1_0fLnRU-acuFNnvuMsT2nLbrOJXds/s640/https%253A%253A%253Awww.flickr.com%253Aphotos%253A21272638%2540N06%253A.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the floral chamber: flowers are already visible at the base the of spadix<br />
Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/21272638@N06/" target="_blank">Chlorophil7</a></td></tr>
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Araceae flowers
are usually very small and reduced to the essential parts – the sexual organs.
So the tepals are absent or highly reduced; male flowers are reduced to a
single stamen, and female flowers to a single carpel. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I haven’t been counting them, but it is
said that in one single <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A. titanum </i>pseudanthium
the number of female flowers can go up to about 450, condensed in the base of
the inflorescence. Male flowers (as are smaller) can be even more, ranging from
500 to 1000. To avoid self-pollination, female flowers are receptive earlier.
So, when the male flowers start releasing fertile pollen, the stigmas of the
same inflorescences are not receptive anymore, and there is no danger of
self-pollination. It is also very common in Araceae the formation of infertile
male flowers (also called staminodes, as each flower corresponds to one single
stamen), the function of these staminodes is not very clear yet. Titan arum,
however, seems to lack such staminodes. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbB7ebSQPGjV0M9ud6dBUaS3oBOM7ltOMKNaJAu_Yb_mBJBIPDdGI4W_-ohTBOYd4g5kXi3rRBuX7Jv9qpaoPZVxwEKACERigEmkil-xpbdsCP2VIWAENihXoW8WqTnWiOao8gOCFJ4U/s1600/Arum1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbB7ebSQPGjV0M9ud6dBUaS3oBOM7ltOMKNaJAu_Yb_mBJBIPDdGI4W_-ohTBOYd4g5kXi3rRBuX7Jv9qpaoPZVxwEKACERigEmkil-xpbdsCP2VIWAENihXoW8WqTnWiOao8gOCFJ4U/s640/Arum1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The base of the spadix bears both male flowers (single-stamen flowers; top of the inflorescence) and female flowers (single-pistil flowers; base of the inflorescence).<br />
Left photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/19068333@N02/" target="_blank">isenbergs2007</a>; Right photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/aeranthes/" target="_blank">Brian</a> </td></tr>
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As you can
imagine, producing such a big structure, plus all that smell and heat is a
great expense of energy resources. Thus, the plant only flowers for about 3
days every thousand days (I have learned this one from Sir David Attenborough).
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHsC9q-SZcswPLtQinC9yKMT8ckdhERq_KZYY37Aw9pLOGHbQF48lz6mWRMNc6hjlKuUu2wYyEJxwajlb-LMAz7zGVyWRpzccJi1blsCwsBODwmXUdWk4cvefkA72kkHUk_aBoG4nYrE/s1600/p02bh390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHsC9q-SZcswPLtQinC9yKMT8ckdhERq_KZYY37Aw9pLOGHbQF48lz6mWRMNc6hjlKuUu2wYyEJxwajlb-LMAz7zGVyWRpzccJi1blsCwsBODwmXUdWk4cvefkA72kkHUk_aBoG4nYrE/s400/p02bh390.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David Attenborough with a wild <i>Amorphophallus titanum</i> in Sumatra filming for BBC's <i>The Private Life of Plants</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Titan arum is
quite a fantastic plant, not only it looks unreal but it is incredible how such
a rare flowering event is enough to succeed on fruit production and perpetuate
the lineage… It seems to be the case where "putting all eggs in one basket" actually works.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-39686562318223802282015-04-23T23:08:00.001+01:002015-04-23T23:28:24.923+01:00Feminine sophistication<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gynoecium is without a doubt the most complex organ in a
flower. It is here where all the magic of fertilization happens, where pollen
meets the ovule and embryos are formed. It has the responsibility of
protecting, nurturing and, ultimately, spreading the seeds, not as gynoecium
anymore, but as the fruit – the result of its the development. Of course a
structure where most action (and purpose) in a plant’s life takes place must be
of great sophistication.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some species, not happy with having solely an ovary, decided
to create a peculiar one. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punica
granatum </i>(Lythraceae), the pomegranate – the gynoecium is a highly complex
organ and it’s hard to compete with such unique structure. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDkOXCSS5lZE6-vSAW-yE07MLuuwpqW-m4g11wEOubxBKrJcpjEIfd6A-MduKDHNz3iMoJjijgm24h1luD_CttGVZ9MIR1wHb1e8FfMRKOJT7PPIkyShnY9jZef2bMdpa38KrfigadlY/s1600/Pic2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDkOXCSS5lZE6-vSAW-yE07MLuuwpqW-m4g11wEOubxBKrJcpjEIfd6A-MduKDHNz3iMoJjijgm24h1luD_CttGVZ9MIR1wHb1e8FfMRKOJT7PPIkyShnY9jZef2bMdpa38KrfigadlY/s1600/Pic2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pomegranate flower (right) and developing fruit (left).<br />
Foto: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/rejik/" target="_blank">Reji</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Carpels are placed in different whorls (usually 2 to 3
whorls of carpels), which culminate on a great mess of carpels, arranged in
superposed layers in one single ovary (please, take a look at the image!). <o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqgKfNjUgoMp_6dkjrgA_eZFFdz2fmkeuLBlW8VK5f0LIDD_dOuP6tJZJwpeZttXBpYfUTMNX-9e7fOUCLbn4qXEIayDwbkOH8jaTqjmmbSpgAgLUVdLDP1aFdvzJecIwXKFA6ZzwNLI/s1600/Pic1a.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTqgKfNjUgoMp_6dkjrgA_eZFFdz2fmkeuLBlW8VK5f0LIDD_dOuP6tJZJwpeZttXBpYfUTMNX-9e7fOUCLbn4qXEIayDwbkOH8jaTqjmmbSpgAgLUVdLDP1aFdvzJecIwXKFA6ZzwNLI/s1600/Pic1a.png" height="400" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scheme of pomegranate ovary showing layered whorls of carpels. (Original picture: Sinha & Joshi, 1959)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Generally (syncarpous) ovaries are placed in one single whorl due to space
constraints. A multi-whorled ovary implies a great deal of logistics, and I
wonder what happened in the course of evolution to have such a
complex structure selected, a rarity among angiosperms.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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But <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Punica granatum </i>is
also unique with respect to the placentation of the ovules. If you observe the
ovary, you can see that basal carpels tend to have axile placentation, whereas
upper carpels seem to have parietal placentation. Such differences are related with the development of the ovary, but before despair, take a look at the picture below and allow me to
explain what is going on in this ovary.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jN5cpme2HRNuiSmYs6rJ7rkz_SKJi1qLpSCbg2RZrK4GhojP5qrAKlKM6l4xeTrZi8xYuA5gesE8ElngR1OkB33SuX1XuLbb8e5qVa8ewFXXrw37E8Rs2Tl9-zo5s6fPDapGBDVpdNo/s1600/carpels.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_jN5cpme2HRNuiSmYs6rJ7rkz_SKJi1qLpSCbg2RZrK4GhojP5qrAKlKM6l4xeTrZi8xYuA5gesE8ElngR1OkB33SuX1XuLbb8e5qVa8ewFXXrw37E8Rs2Tl9-zo5s6fPDapGBDVpdNo/s1600/carpels.png" height="377" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schematic representation of the growth of carpels. Placentation is axile in all whorls but in the uppermost whorl the placenta is always on the peripheral side of the locule because of the carpels growth. (Original picture: Sinha & Joshi, 1959)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
What happens in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">P.
granatum </i>is that placentation is always axile, including the upper whorl.
However, because carpels are on the inner surface of a deep floral cup<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">, the inclination of the
carpels of the upper (outer) whorl is different from that in the lower (inner)
whorl. Thus, the carpels of the upper whorl are directed obliquely downwards, giving
the wrong impression of having a parietal placenta. That they are not parietal
can already be seen in the fact that they have septa, as gynoecia with
parietal placentation have no septa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEIeJh0Xu7bxplG3PVjgLJggcjyLU72YwfwSGWbkK4tsKICHrPG4kQHIxpud3IVTvLISpCmK0nZ8-AhOSHDRSAyt49Jtl0WrKdbsT909HSDcoVjhaqHRSFPD_OnZFrn0awWPrPpax5L0/s1600/placentation2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihEIeJh0Xu7bxplG3PVjgLJggcjyLU72YwfwSGWbkK4tsKICHrPG4kQHIxpud3IVTvLISpCmK0nZ8-AhOSHDRSAyt49Jtl0WrKdbsT909HSDcoVjhaqHRSFPD_OnZFrn0awWPrPpax5L0/s1600/placentation2.png" height="302" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Axile vs. parietal placentation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #1a1a1a; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now, before finishing this post, allow me to clarify the structure of <i>Punica</i>’s fruit. </span>The mesocarp (the fleshy tissue that we eat in many fruits, such as apples, pears, plums, apricots, etc) is represented in pomegranates as a thin white layer – the tissue wall that separates the carpels ovaries. The fleshy part of this fruit is unusually the testa of seeds (or seed coat), and it is called a sarcotesta – the botanical name for fleshy testa. The sarcotesta is many times described as an aril, but it has nothing to do with the aril found in <i>Taxus</i> fruits, which is an appendage of the fruit – different from the outermost layer of the seed. </div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTBYFmJ_9Flj61Q1ZPIklT1A86xZck82sllV_iwGE9EVoKAYcWmNVnRUrq27sDkdxTJ57YclcL9d7CacVGl8zDxoBAjuHl9mxXINHaskiFAxkLtvII_lPEv2u1H9WCUOywE6kEWEiRIg/s1600/PGSeeds.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTBYFmJ_9Flj61Q1ZPIklT1A86xZck82sllV_iwGE9EVoKAYcWmNVnRUrq27sDkdxTJ57YclcL9d7CacVGl8zDxoBAjuHl9mxXINHaskiFAxkLtvII_lPEv2u1H9WCUOywE6kEWEiRIg/s1600/PGSeeds.png" height="404" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">The edible part of most fruits is the ovary's mesocarp; in <i>Punica granatum</i> we eat seeds' sarcotesta instead.<br />
(Foto: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/110261744@N05/" target="_blank">Eric Beaume</a>)<br />
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The symbolism of the pomegranate is present in many cultures from Western Asia to the Mediterranean basin. They tend to represent fertility and prosperity, which is not surprising regarding the numerous seeds each fruit bears and the incredible complexity around an already complex organ - the ovary.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-63684060868178264492015-03-18T16:33:00.000+00:002015-03-18T16:33:17.425+00:00Eucalypt flowers and the land of wildfires<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
One of the best things about my job is going to the field
and last week this was made possible, my mission was to visit a eucalypt
orchard and collect capsules of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eucalyptus
globulus</i>. Perfect! Since I had to collect capsules from the canopy, and eucalypt
trees are quite tall, the orchard manager and me had to go in a crane to reach
the top of the trees, I couldn’t believe it! It was fantastic and it truly made
my day. Even though I have been in even taller canopies before, of different
species, in different places and situations, it was for me as marvelous as the
first time. It is always fascinating to reach a tree perspective from its canopy
– sorry for not having pictures of the moment, but I had to share this with you
anyway. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As I was there for capsule collection, I obviously took the
chance of collecting some flowers too. I have been looking for eucalypt flowers
for quite a while, but the canopies are tall, so I never managed to reach them
(I don’t always find a crane next to the trees for a little canopy ride).
Eucalypt flowers might not be extremely spectacular in terms of pollination,
but their morphology is very interesting – and you have to agree it’s hard to
stop looking at these beauties.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDU0WvPHrF26l4QY85f2EQbOrLQu3Jm-Gaxm8PJewCreKx6TWE2lp-sifB1usKlMiT43JcldsziTwSCqLwPLh7AIAqFPHISRQxTweQ5zvuTSZaM_oPvr83KEmmZKZYDoPrnL81l7j7Uc/s1600/euc1.2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDU0WvPHrF26l4QY85f2EQbOrLQu3Jm-Gaxm8PJewCreKx6TWE2lp-sifB1usKlMiT43JcldsziTwSCqLwPLh7AIAqFPHISRQxTweQ5zvuTSZaM_oPvr83KEmmZKZYDoPrnL81l7j7Uc/s1600/euc1.2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eucalypt flowers diversity: 1 – <i>Eucalyptus rhodantha</i>; 2 – <i>E. kingsmillii</i>; 3 – <i>E. synandra</i>. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="text-align: start;">(Photos: </span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tgerus/" style="text-align: start;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;">https://www.flickr.com/photos/tgerus/</span></a><span style="text-align: start;">)</span></span></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Since eucalypts belong to Myrtaceae, you do not expect a
perianth here, stamens perform the attractive parts of the flower, and the
colour attributed to the flower is actually the color of the stamens’
filaments. But even if you are not expecting to find a perianth, it doesn’t
mean they don’t have one, or had… <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eucalyptus</i>’<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>perianth is replaced by a protective
woody structure – the operculum, which falls at anthesis. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The operculum is maybe the most emblematic structure of the
flowers of this genus, but it is not a new structure, it is a modified one
instead. The origin of the operculum is actually on the fusion of perianth
members (calyx and corolla), but in most groups (e.g. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Symphyomyrtus</i> subgenus) you will find two opercula in one flower
bud: an outer operculum (of sepal origin) and an inner operculum (of petal
origin). In these species, the sepal-derived operculum falls during bud
development and the petal-derived one falls at anthesis. So, perianth exists,
but is only there on early stages, before anthesis, leaving only a scar on the
flower as a reminder of their existence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTtjLvMr-OaNw34POJwKWmvA4mu8jvyn_lSJw1Ut68F-9JpirVrp2NX4Dp3qZBwaLAOvl6m9UU4DZ4Pii64J5jNF_YQVvfkSrAN6jNNiNT-eYhjD4zlOzH0n62Ku1ff_dnqmp_AXEneg/s1600/Eucal2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnTtjLvMr-OaNw34POJwKWmvA4mu8jvyn_lSJw1Ut68F-9JpirVrp2NX4Dp3qZBwaLAOvl6m9UU4DZ4Pii64J5jNF_YQVvfkSrAN6jNNiNT-eYhjD4zlOzH0n62Ku1ff_dnqmp_AXEneg/s1600/Eucal2.jpg" height="400" width="358" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>E. globulus</i> flowers; The presence of a scar in the flower bud is a clear evidence that the outer operculum has fallen. Species with a single operculum, or fused opercula, lack this scar. (Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/22691568@N04/" target="_blank">Bill Higham</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Another character of Myrtaceae, which has been discussed in <a href="http://flower-tales.blogspot.pt/2012/01/roses-my-lord.html">another post</a> is the hypanthium. The hypanthium is present in a number of groups, its morphology is labile, as well as the tissues involved, so do not expect to find identical hypanthia in different groups. Eucalypt hypanthia embed the inferior ovaries, and only the style is visible, between the stamina ring and base of the style.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-1piWAW6xvL_bP0-XNxL03NkltLdectjTZW_zr9GhHygrjb_kwneZNeKIIz6ij-VOglsa-T1MR1WAGWEGqZ2oPZ_odswXgRagDjKgd6Z8TapEjI04UP7APRLfojtZNAriWTsO9YayCg/s1600/euc3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-1piWAW6xvL_bP0-XNxL03NkltLdectjTZW_zr9GhHygrjb_kwneZNeKIIz6ij-VOglsa-T1MR1WAGWEGqZ2oPZ_odswXgRagDjKgd6Z8TapEjI04UP7APRLfojtZNAriWTsO9YayCg/s1600/euc3.jpg" height="240" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>E. globulus</i> buds and flowers at early and later stages.<br />(Photos: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/starr-environmental/" target="_blank">Forest and Kim Starr</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<br /></div>
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In a later stage, this receptacular structure is involved in
the formation of the capsule. Since hypanthium and ovary are structures
intimately linked, maturation of the ovary takes place inside the hypanthium
and a woody dehiscence capsule is formed. This is why eucalypt capsules are
known to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">false </i>fruits, because the
hypanthium is involved in the process and in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fruit</i> structure. Finally, dehiscence takes place after capsules dry
out (usually as a response to dead tissues caused by fire), and capsule opens
through valves formed by the splitting of the ovary roof, corresponding to the
locules. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap_vVQa52i-xpZEmTl3OYJxXupYtA5faSo1TiSYzqyK6rFTnudc1l-ItHHfo5Mt_zykyGGkT1uebXvzS21xK_LOP9b5bwB1KkhEAkHJ6HiDyl-iIGTKmZat3v1BYn3E_QvrCZ2UIPkQQ/s1600/euc4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhap_vVQa52i-xpZEmTl3OYJxXupYtA5faSo1TiSYzqyK6rFTnudc1l-ItHHfo5Mt_zykyGGkT1uebXvzS21xK_LOP9b5bwB1KkhEAkHJ6HiDyl-iIGTKmZat3v1BYn3E_QvrCZ2UIPkQQ/s1600/euc4.jpg" height="242" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When capsules dry out, the ovary roof splits in several valves and seeds are shed through these valves. The number of valves correspond to the number of ovary locules. Scars and rings, corresponding to floral organs, are also still visible in mature capsules. (Photo: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/31031835@N08/" target="_blank">John Tann</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Considering the dehiscence behavior and the ecology of
eucalypts, I wonder if the formation of these <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">false</i> fruits are actually adaptations to fire. It has been already
showed that eucalypt seeds are not fire-resistant, so seed viability relies on
the insulating properties of the woody capsules. Perhaps two layers of tissue, the
hypanthium combined with the ovary wall, provide higher insulating capacity?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-80852223548922746852014-02-25T15:55:00.003+00:002014-02-25T15:55:58.502+00:00Demystifying Osyris<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Whenever we have problems we seek for an answer, an
alternative, a way to find a solution. It is not different in the natural
world - in fact evolution, the development of new forms and the creation of more
diversity has always been triggered by the seeking for survival, outlining
problems keeping a place within the ecosystem. During this constant seek, many
plants cannot find their place, happening to die and get extinct, some
others evolve exploring the resources available.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Parasitic plants are an example that there are no rules for
survival in the wild, and obstacles are sometimes to be solved with extreme solutions.
Parasitizing others is not the fairest solution, after all the resources used
here are robbed and were meant to be used by their hosts, but it was the way
these plants found to avoid death and keep on spreading their genes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There is no particular reason, but I want to talk about <i>Osyris</i> (Santalaceae) this time, simply
because I want to share it with you all. It is not an extravagant plant, and neither are their flowers, it is way discrete essentially because it is a hemi-parasitic plant, meaning they are green too as they do photosynthesize. When I learnt the name of this genus,
I thought: “Hum, must be related with Osiris, the Egyptian God of the Death,
maybe because it is a parasitic plant, and “sucks” the life of other plants”. Well,
it could be a good theory in fact, but it was only another contribute from my
imagination. The name <i>Osyris</i> is
derived from the Greek <i>ozos</i>, meaning
branched, relating to the habit of the plant, instead of what I was considering
to be the horrific slayer peculiarities of <i>Osyris</i>.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgk369xdwO8BEECJSIpiDKrraerl3DhyoQe17yHeLGBKhj_6fDQQsMzbvgAgElG_AHSHIsUpjfxFarmtI7cvbaQQIEhG4V8TLwoSZ62L28-BikeQlHWuePjznLagXVWQOghNhgHKAcOk/s1600/osiris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQgk369xdwO8BEECJSIpiDKrraerl3DhyoQe17yHeLGBKhj_6fDQQsMzbvgAgElG_AHSHIsUpjfxFarmtI7cvbaQQIEhG4V8TLwoSZ62L28-BikeQlHWuePjznLagXVWQOghNhgHKAcOk/s1600/osiris.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Osiris, the Egyptian God of the Dead was originally a God of Nature, symbolizing the cycle of vegetation</td></tr>
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It is hard to describe a typical flower of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Osyris</i>, you can find either unisexual
(when sex is separated in different flowers) or bisexual, but it is not
uncommon in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Osyris</i> to find remains of
the opposite sex in the flowers. Even though the flowers are very tiny and not
showy at all, they have their strategies to seduce pollinators to visit their
flowers. Actually, male flowers might have too many distractions; they offer
everything to their visitors! The pollinator who decides to come can drink the
nectar and taste pollen and staminal hairs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8RlhduvY0HV7NihhBCMaguYdEuxGSQJglMrZqHHM5o_IiJGhSR6yTc6r9O9Vwx8xUsInWStbEnqtol2pHsoKcMXZTgpspRlGrEsUTkm1S-iGaaNSI64ESm7bo-XvoQQjBybm3UphKS0/s1600/maleosyris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8RlhduvY0HV7NihhBCMaguYdEuxGSQJglMrZqHHM5o_IiJGhSR6yTc6r9O9Vwx8xUsInWStbEnqtol2pHsoKcMXZTgpspRlGrEsUTkm1S-iGaaNSI64ESm7bo-XvoQQjBybm3UphKS0/s1600/maleosyris.jpg" height="321" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male flowers of <i>Osyris alba.</i><br />The male flowers of <i>Osyris</i> are grouped in cymes. Please note that these flowers don't have calyx! (Photos: Gianluca Nicolella; Sarah Gregg)</td></tr>
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A true feast, and the feast offered by the male flowers
contrasts with the stingy female flowers. They have nothing to offer, except
three modified yellow anthers (of course without viable pollen), providing only
the visual stimulus for the pollinator. So it seems that the female flowers
lead pollinators to deception by mimicking male flowers with those “fake”
anthers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female flower of <i>Osyris alba</i>.<br />Contrasting with the male flower, the female flower of <i>Osyris</i> are solitary, surrounded by protective bracts. Please note that these flowers don't have calyx! (Photo: Salvador Tello; http://www.flickr.com/photos/salvador_tello/)</td></tr>
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But of course there is a reason for everything, and it is
not only for being niggard that the female flowers don’t offer proper meals to
their tireless pollinators. It is all part of the strategy, this way the
pollinators are encouraged to visit all the flowers, some don’t have anything
to offer, but they have to go there and check what is there available to drink
and eat. Others have a lot of sweets, and this stimulates the little visitors
to keep on searching for more from flower to flower, spreading the pollen. It
sounds like a good strategy! <o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-56430883135652910272014-01-22T02:32:00.000+00:002015-11-11T20:30:39.894+00:00In Flanders' Fields the Poppies Blow<div style="text-align: justify;">
Poppies have always give me good childhood memories of fields in late spring, playing with dolls made of poppy flowers is also part of those days spent in the field. Even my mother used to call me “Mary Poppy” when I was a child making of poppies definitely very much familiar and dear flowers to me.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoGd8t0a0megN9ePmkf-w5VknfEt7IgpQeiEHZqzNq6aE5dq2gPgqiqZK15c1i-HFZu0qZFU9j-mXbJdIHu-aB7XE6lz6umxzMsxDzTmX_FvbpAEZF_2roKPT0PhAYCueJ1SlWO0TcV0/s1600/poppy+doll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGoGd8t0a0megN9ePmkf-w5VknfEt7IgpQeiEHZqzNq6aE5dq2gPgqiqZK15c1i-HFZu0qZFU9j-mXbJdIHu-aB7XE6lz6umxzMsxDzTmX_FvbpAEZF_2roKPT0PhAYCueJ1SlWO0TcV0/s1600/poppy+doll.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandfather taught me how to make poppy dolls like this one...<br />
Source: www.wildplantforager.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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They are, however, associated with heavier and darker topics,
such as death and sleep since ancient times and by different cultures, but also
more recently with war and the victims of World War I, due to the famous poem
“In Flanders Fields”, by John McCrae.
Red poppies, <i>Papaver rhoeas</i>,<i> </i>are therefore symbol of wartime
remembrance, and are still used in some countries to commemorate those who died
in WWI.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLdjAhZyWBEoUNWZzn5IwSRBQGYsm46FMuQMstddq4qLjgnhDeRnuDiwYMgmdqGrSFVxndy1gRwwBMF-vKPEGjNedaryjATtbS9FjGaXHixrjLqas0fOVzkuvvZJ0L9k_6Ys7yFX_SwM/s1600/EA2721DE2991F46DA4AF59477960_h498_w598_m2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="498" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqLdjAhZyWBEoUNWZzn5IwSRBQGYsm46FMuQMstddq4qLjgnhDeRnuDiwYMgmdqGrSFVxndy1gRwwBMF-vKPEGjNedaryjATtbS9FjGaXHixrjLqas0fOVzkuvvZJ0L9k_6Ys7yFX_SwM/s1600/EA2721DE2991F46DA4AF59477960_h498_w598_m2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>In Flanders Fields</i> by Willy Werner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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But it doesn’t end here, poppy fields have another negative
connotation, aside the Flanders fields – and I’m not talking about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papaver rhoeas</i> anymore. I’m talking
about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papaver somniferum</i>, also known
as the opium poppy. Since ancient times (and by ancient times I mean the
Neolithic age!) poppies have been cultivated and used for food, medical and recreational
purposes due to its pain relief properties. Oh yes, ancient people from Mesopotamia
to Egypt, from India to Persia, they already used this powerful drug. It
allowed advances in medicine, with especial emphasis to surgeries, due to the
morphine found in the flowers, a powerful anesthetic compound. So, because of its
properties, these flowers became associated with sleep, death, drugs and war. Not
the greatest subjects to be associated with.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFXZgdtxUn70YCdqvhyphenhyphenHvPlC1JiGxPBBQZ68rwkTMIdOV0znrnhe7KyPAX_fOo3nNbIxE5esNn2cWlmvfpeXzlFc0nXeTNI_fPI0BTzXJt1WqFWs0RvOu7Pv9LegN2fQuT4P3rT6Dp-0/s1600/opium+poppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFXZgdtxUn70YCdqvhyphenhyphenHvPlC1JiGxPBBQZ68rwkTMIdOV0znrnhe7KyPAX_fOo3nNbIxE5esNn2cWlmvfpeXzlFc0nXeTNI_fPI0BTzXJt1WqFWs0RvOu7Pv9LegN2fQuT4P3rT6Dp-0/s1600/opium+poppy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Afghan farmers collecting raw opium in a poppy field<br />
Photo: Rahmat Gul<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I’m not going to talk about crops of poppies in Afghanistan
and in the Golden Triangle for opium production– enough of such topic! I would
like to give you a botanical perspective of this flower too. Papaveraceae – the
poppies’ family; is belongs to basal eudicots (order Ranunculales) and are known
for having dimerous and dissymmetric flowers, even though exceptions are found
in the family, it is quite a stable character. However, Papaveraceae is a
somewhat diverse family with 44 genera and 760 species, divided in 2
subfamilies, so I will focus for today on the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papaver</i> only. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As you have probably noticed, they do have 4 petals, but if
you look carefully you will see that they are inserted in two different whorls
– two whorls of two petals. In fact, the calyx is also made out of two sepals,
however they tend to be deciduous (falling off after blooming), so it is of no
surprise if you don’t find the sepals in a poppy flower. The dissymmetric
nature of these flowers is also reflected in other organs, the stamens, the
carpels and even the ovules arise in two rows. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
But the most interesting structure of the genus <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papaver</i> is the gynoecium. The stigmas
are laterally confluent, and since they usually don’t have styles (meaning the
stigmas are sessile), a stigmatic disc is formed on the top of the ovary – the
pollen receptive surface. When ripe, the unilocular but multicarpelate ovary
forms a dried fruit, a capsule, together with the stigmatic disc. As a
dehiscent fruit, the capsule has valves or pores to allow the seeds to be
released from the capsule when dried and ripe.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo8ZVSP92yTxE6v4wGIRsMOOgXt85jMby488zRqb0wWa69wq06mTCCI8m3D96OYsI5On8GklEUYytlq6IkNYqVB0rjlKIfUddiFcRgxkIemZnkKQsnW_OPt5BrnW59PmO3k1S2sE9e0w/s1600/poppygyno.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKo8ZVSP92yTxE6v4wGIRsMOOgXt85jMby488zRqb0wWa69wq06mTCCI8m3D96OYsI5On8GklEUYytlq6IkNYqVB0rjlKIfUddiFcRgxkIemZnkKQsnW_OPt5BrnW59PmO3k1S2sE9e0w/s1600/poppygyno.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: Morphology of the flower, <i>Papaver rhoeas </i>(Photo: Dennis Heidrich)<br />
Right: Capsule of <i>Papaver somniferum</i> (Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/f4/)<br />
<br />
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</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Papaver is also a genus know to be bud-pollinated – this
means that sexual organs may be ripe before blooming and that pollination may
occur even before the flower is open to pollinators! This means that even
though poppies cannot control their sexual impulses before flower blooming
allowing self-pollination to occur, they found a strategy – they are not
self-fertilized due to other mechanisms, a mechanism that even though does not
work 100% it can help to avoid selfing! So this means that the fact that self-pollination may occur
before blooming doesn’t mean that this flowers don’t need the little flying
helpers for cross-pollination, this is why they keep their attractive attributes!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-11005664416089039432013-03-21T21:30:00.001+00:002013-03-22T03:09:49.100+00:00Original, traditional and truly American<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Native from North America, the Saguaro cactus can only be found
in the Sonoran Desert (US states of Arizona and California and Northwestern
Mexico). The peculiarity of such plant is part of the imaginary of the native
tribes since ancient times. Many legends have been build-up around the cactus;
many of those legends confer special gifts or divine powers to these plants. Its
shape and size (which can grow over 20 meters tall) makes a superb view along
the desert landscapes, and this was probably the reason why natives believe
that the Saguaro cacti were reincarnations of the spirits of Native American
warriors, standing in the desert as guardians of their people with arms upwards,
supplicating for water and light to the Creator.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seri People in Sonora Desert, Mexico (Photo: Graciela Iturbide, 1979)</td></tr>
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As in a desert whatever you find is a gift from heavens, the
Saguaro has been venerated for generations and used as a source of food and
shelter for the natives, especially by the Tohono O’odham and the Mexican Seri
people, as well as for other inhabitants of the desert. The fruits are an
important food source not only for the people but also for birds, whereas the
plant itself is used by some species for nesting. The needles were used for
sewing, and other parts of the plant were used to build shelters or to produce
tools.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV42oIt4aQ13VfM50IBPxFXiJ72dlutWKFyUmLOmBOEJROro19FmgqBijfrK6ThIqtMNIU3s1ulTcm0ynYeiX5Opdf6uoRuQJLRS1PMNgtw1SwP2DoCXBfzJEoHCujRKHU4I47gDEld2I/s1600/animals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="438" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV42oIt4aQ13VfM50IBPxFXiJ72dlutWKFyUmLOmBOEJROro19FmgqBijfrK6ThIqtMNIU3s1ulTcm0ynYeiX5Opdf6uoRuQJLRS1PMNgtw1SwP2DoCXBfzJEoHCujRKHU4I47gDEld2I/s640/animals.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A - <i>Parabuteo unicinctus</i> (Photo: Walter Meayers Edwards); B - <i>Micrathene whitneyi</i> (Photo: Bruce D. Taubert); C - <i>Zenaida asiatica</i>; D - <i>Bubo virginianus</i> (Photo: Jim Zipp)</td></tr>
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But the real magic happens during the quiet night, when
pollination takes place. Any guess on who’s starring this time? Bats! Just take
a look at the flowers – white, open, big and on the top of that, it releases a sweet
smell of nectar during the night. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjVk8dbFpdbH_hIcO1azW5xCA0zVounFBPMMlYD2eQJj0RU1V90xp5p2BTCAtS1eUaGtymzTCjEExkIaO2a1_EBPyeyLgclGkelXkHzpImaLPaHYh88iSpaqPmmBS4hFzct93W7u3mqo/s1600/bat_img.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHjVk8dbFpdbH_hIcO1azW5xCA0zVounFBPMMlYD2eQJj0RU1V90xp5p2BTCAtS1eUaGtymzTCjEExkIaO2a1_EBPyeyLgclGkelXkHzpImaLPaHYh88iSpaqPmmBS4hFzct93W7u3mqo/s640/bat_img.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bat pollination of Saguaro flowers by <i>Leptonycteris yerbabuenae</i><br />
(Photos by: Merlin Tuttle / Bat Conservation International)
<!--EndFragment--></td></tr>
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However during the day the cacti flowers
keep opened, so other animals can pollinate when bats are asleep – after all,
nothing forbids them to do the job, even though the main pollinator is the
lesser long-nosed bat (<i>Leptonycteris
yerbabuenae</i>). Unfortunately these bats are threatened and considered V<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt;">ulnerable according to IUCN, especially due to
habitat destruction.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitn5bt_zlX7VP8WDHulHU3QjEdDpwV8V6RwddmF6xAwKH6MoOYUBpd2lxjG_WU0RCvRh0Y3Dr2tMS_VTud5C_98JNQqrjprb8AI7n0mxnF9Mqam6UKSTnbLHFtYbg0lM29qZkV9zLsT1k/s1600/day_pol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitn5bt_zlX7VP8WDHulHU3QjEdDpwV8V6RwddmF6xAwKH6MoOYUBpd2lxjG_WU0RCvRh0Y3Dr2tMS_VTud5C_98JNQqrjprb8AI7n0mxnF9Mqam6UKSTnbLHFtYbg0lM29qZkV9zLsT1k/s640/day_pol.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day pollinators</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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We have to admit cacti flowers are absolutely gorgeous. More
than the natural gorgeousness, they are a botanically interesting case to
study. Caryophyllales’ members tend to be odd and have their own peculiarities,
and so does Cactaceae, having an immense (botanically speaking, we actually say
<i>infinite</i>) number of petaloid tepals.
No, not petals – they are not <i>real</i>
petals, Caryophyllales lack petals and this is probably one of the reasons why
so many different trends arose in this group. They had to find a way to attract
pollinators even though they did not have petals to do it! What a task… But
they went over it and they reinvented petals with the genetic sources they had.
Phenotypically, my dear Cactaceae, I must admit I love what you invented –
isn’t Nature truly an artist?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CcHUXS4AFfkZOG7XlfX231vVbceBryS78_7uY8uLbbB03JlKg-ATG8YiVfaNv79SkZ3EyvjwiuzwBEyjbCS25P3U3YHCp_I3Ffp-KPylsB8XslFqqP2ZgzvrQpNe2xHgwaSQjYiC4iA/s1600/sag_flwr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CcHUXS4AFfkZOG7XlfX231vVbceBryS78_7uY8uLbbB03JlKg-ATG8YiVfaNv79SkZ3EyvjwiuzwBEyjbCS25P3U3YHCp_I3Ffp-KPylsB8XslFqqP2ZgzvrQpNe2xHgwaSQjYiC4iA/s640/sag_flwr.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo source: Flickr (J Rindrr)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-49952959410049221792013-03-12T22:24:00.000+00:002013-03-12T22:38:55.019+00:00On the path of the begin<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="color: #262626;">The Gaokerena tree, or the Tree of Life in the
Zoroastrian tradition, is one of the manifestations of the Haoma-plant. In the legend, divine birds have
brought the plant from heaven to the Elburz Mountains (Iran). According to
the Zoroastrian tradition the plant it is collected in a box, placed in an iron vase and only after
the priest has washed several pieces of the plant it can be used along, of
course, rituals and prayers. The sacred juice is usually mixed with other
herbal extractions and finally you have it - Amrut, an authentic elixir of life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ti_NHrY3rjyeUt1FGljjI6X8kdbJ0h0LjcqBX-GEEB_YGa1G2pJY_06eBhldUBGl9ZEJH4UdUUW2eLZKl1aw8EnQKkxswbQBghIDHnjwkQa5gSSCbbYg5AZ8U_x0cvY0wx8yF0Vs_Ew/s1600/gaokerena+tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ti_NHrY3rjyeUt1FGljjI6X8kdbJ0h0LjcqBX-GEEB_YGa1G2pJY_06eBhldUBGl9ZEJH4UdUUW2eLZKl1aw8EnQKkxswbQBghIDHnjwkQa5gSSCbbYg5AZ8U_x0cvY0wx8yF0Vs_Ew/s640/gaokerena+tree.jpg" width="576" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">The Gaokerena Tree, or the Tree of Life</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #262626;">This plant was believed to give strength to men and gods,
some myths say that the juice from this plant can restore and give long life
along with other important properties. Such a deep meaning for a culture, I
thought, the plant had to have hallucinogenic effects – that is how many times
humans relate the terrain with the mystical and sacred, or the other side of
life. For sure this “long-life elixir” had to be related with it and
indeed, most specialists have been trying to understand which plant were in the
origin of the sacred recipe. A lot of theories have rouse, but <i>Ephedra</i> seems to be a good hint, and
ephedrine the main component of the heavenly drink.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626;">Those who know <i>Ephedra</i>
are familiar with its peculiarity and are aware that this plant does not have flowers
– so what is the purpose, you might be thinking, of posting a story of a <i>non-</i>flowering plant in a blog about
flowers? The answer is simple: because of evolution. The evolutionary history of
flowers is a very interesting story on its own, and, even though the discussion
about the ancestor of flowering plants is still running, <i>Ephedra </i>seems to have characters of both Angiosperms and
Gymnosperms. It is true that it does not have real flowers, but cones
(similarly to Conifers); however… What is in fact a flower? A structure bearing sexual organs and protective leaf-like organs. The strobili were already
compared to inflorescences of angiosperms, and there are indeed similarities – so,
even though <i>Ephedra </i>does not have <i>real </i>flowers (according to the modern
definition of flower), the reproductive structures resemble so, they seem to be
the ancestors of flowers (or at least inflorescences).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pHhidC0nRCI1mu0dHuQFYe1orFM3ynlE2HUIqLwv6nrxFjN8cJl4SC8juOA53xhZ6koUvzPMEeyW6kbKKWxd37hRAd1riR7nd40Z1imA8mEJsTG41gSM38Uc9fHhB6jpf8skmGS_4cU/s1600/fig1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6pHhidC0nRCI1mu0dHuQFYe1orFM3ynlE2HUIqLwv6nrxFjN8cJl4SC8juOA53xhZ6koUvzPMEeyW6kbKKWxd37hRAd1riR7nd40Z1imA8mEJsTG41gSM38Uc9fHhB6jpf8skmGS_4cU/s640/fig1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><br />
A – Part of a male strobilus; B – Cyme (type of inflorescence in Angiosperms) The circles represent both microsporangia (A) or flowers (B); Comparing both structures, the strobilus resembles a condensed cyme, where the bracts act as a perianth (already present as part of the flowers in B)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<i><span style="color: #262626;">Ephedra</span></i><span style="color: #262626;"> is usually dioecious, with male and female strobili
and each strobili acts as a condensed inflorescence, where each bract bears a <i>flower</i>, a group of micro or
megasporangium (except for the lower bracts which are usually sterile). Each
one of these sporangia are also protected by leaf-like structures, the
bracteoles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsKcAiqNyT6AjrDZYF2YBq9QzowT4DUNcWAUzVMuKAQFyg8MYa73obAowJjEYthWOTPVilGCCCiQERCRQVoiCATIlwJ5cV0YjGEbWNyAueNnfaxS8jwMtMJOSyoQd0KuOho0jqCM55eU/s1600/fig2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsKcAiqNyT6AjrDZYF2YBq9QzowT4DUNcWAUzVMuKAQFyg8MYa73obAowJjEYthWOTPVilGCCCiQERCRQVoiCATIlwJ5cV0YjGEbWNyAueNnfaxS8jwMtMJOSyoQd0KuOho0jqCM55eU/s640/fig2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><br />
Even though it is not represented here, each microsporangium is borne in a stalk called sporangiophore <br />
[Photo Source: http://www.plantsystematics.org]
<!--EndFragment--><b><span style="color: #262626;"> </span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626;">Meanwhile the male strobilus produces a large number of
microsporangia, the female strobilus produces only a pair of ovules, each
corresponding to a terminal bract.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626;">Though anemophily (pollination through wind) is an
important pollination syndrome in <i>Ephedra</i>,
it is been reported entomophily in some species. The pollen grains are caught
in the pollination drop, which contains many nutrients, including high
concentration of sucrose. Also, some authors argue that drops of nectar can be
found in both female and male cones in several species, which contributes to
the attraction of insects to do the very much appreciated job of pollen
transfer and the consequent origin of the modern flower.<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: #262626;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzONmt05ucljcYJ67JVkf1DIXmkAPFLxZasN2qbOBSeX98nJlRZmNLME-ce7cTJi_iGa2uRplatOHdNE3-XfwN3AFZhP5AW6NE0nLakqZ6x34njBanVXT7KjhhUuxJNHGdiCt_it8GaA/s1600/fig3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimzONmt05ucljcYJ67JVkf1DIXmkAPFLxZasN2qbOBSeX98nJlRZmNLME-ce7cTJi_iGa2uRplatOHdNE3-XfwN3AFZhP5AW6NE0nLakqZ6x34njBanVXT7KjhhUuxJNHGdiCt_it8GaA/s640/fig3.jpg" width="552" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">[Photo Source: http://www.plantsystematics.org] <br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-28708122462127980962013-03-06T16:06:00.001+00:002013-03-06T16:07:18.764+00:00Flower Tales on Facebook<div style="text-align: justify;">
Flower Tales is on Facebook! You are welcome to like the page, all the new stories published here will be also shared on the Facebook page so you can share with friends. Like the page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Flower-Tales/419659508126184?fref=ts">here</a>!</div>
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Have a beautiful day!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013358992266491989noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-47434579982105215352013-03-03T21:10:00.001+00:002013-03-12T22:26:46.625+00:00The eternal reflection of a narcissistic life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i><span style="color: #262626;">"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus
was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my banks, I could see,
in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty reflected."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;">– Oscar
Wilde<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;">The legend of Narcissus is a
very well known Greek myth and as the Greeks have accustoming us, this one is another
beautiful and tragic story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #262626;">Narcissus was a handsome young man,
which used to go hunting to the woods. One day a nymph named Echo saw Narcissus
and immediately fell in love, however due to the curse that goddess Hera casted
on her, Echo was not able to speak on her behalf – she could only speak by
repeating what others had said, so she could not explain the love she had for the
young mortal. Narcissus became tired of Echo’s repeated and nonsensical words,
and insulted her since he didn’t feel the same. Echo was heartbroken – big
mistake Narcissus! Everyone knows that breaking a female’s heart can be of
great danger, now imagine breaking a nymph’s heart – a being that has direct
contact with the celestial creatures. The other nymphs thought Narcissus
deserved to be punished, and Zeus agreed. Again when Narcissus was hunting, he
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_N6puyutiiKidJYLd5vGu8uGdVJbc5jt4y2XBOW6H6UhtssamsO-YNEfaU_fJPbBr7kBRCZt39mEuD8fUOA7Hwp2cv4TX0jEpmKmmIU52eVJKhkA8QXcRivYMI3294vqNsMzZLlDIA8Y/s1600/waterhouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_N6puyutiiKidJYLd5vGu8uGdVJbc5jt4y2XBOW6H6UhtssamsO-YNEfaU_fJPbBr7kBRCZt39mEuD8fUOA7Hwp2cv4TX0jEpmKmmIU52eVJKhkA8QXcRivYMI3294vqNsMzZLlDIA8Y/s640/waterhouse.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Echo and Narcissus</i>, John William Waterhouse <br />
<br /></td></tr>
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He couldn’t do anything anymore except staring at the water and his own true love – himself! He couldn’t eat or sleep anymore, life started to leave him but not before he understood and regret his behavior with Echo. Zeus and the nymphs took pity on him, but it was already too late, they could not restore mortal life, so Narcissus body was transformed into a flower, blooming every spring with the “head” bending to the water.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Narcissus calcicola </i>[Source: <a href="http://www.flora-on.pt/">Flora-On</a>]</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #262626;">It is very easy to identify the <i>Narcissus</i> flowers due to the presence of
a corona, also commonly known as trumpet. I have mentioned this organ <a href="http://flower-tales.blogspot.pt/2012/06/passion-flower.html">before</a>, but whilst in <i>Passiflora</i>
the corona is formed by a considerable number of needle-shape structures, <i>Narcissus</i> shows a petal-like structure –
here the corona looks like an outer-formation of the perianth, but keep in mind
that it is an independent organ and although it is fused with the perianth and
is similar to it in many aspects, it is not the same thing, and it is more
complex than just an outgrowth of the tepals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Floral structures in <i>Narcissus calcicola</i></td></tr>
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Narcissus was indeed a very handsome being, but what seemed to be a bliss ended up being his curse, leading him to death. Nobody was good enough for him because nobody was at his level. He became blind with himself, focused only on his reflection – the rest of the world was a complete nothingness. Narcissus showed us in a dramatic way how important it is to respect the love from one another and that contemplation can be the solution for the problems that we keep being focused on. So do never forget, whenever you’re bending your head down, remember that the world is to be contemplated with the head up! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-62227093862930765972013-01-06T22:12:00.000+00:002013-01-06T22:13:57.970+00:00The mandrake's screaming reputation<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<i><i>"Come, my beloved, let us go forth into the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see whether the vine hath budded, whether the vine-blossom be opened, and the pomegranates be in flower; there will I give thee my love. The mandrake give forth fragrance, and at our doors are all manner of precious fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved."</i></i></div>
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Song of Solomon 7:12-13 </div>
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Mandrake is known from ancient times, its reputation runs in people's mouths for centuries. The oldest references are to be found in biblical scriptures, Genesis and Song of Solomon (or Song of Songs) where its hebrew name (דודאים) is found to mean literally <i>love plant</i> (hum, interesting!). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOf4rHEDjyhwznkAHpdonDhruKs-MnfY78LfgnMuE8CMtxQNhCtR8UjzS-R1ICEoYQwhS-2f9dMsULpkP5MU-y_KCGqXIHKVduO1ZFg8OK9QqnFtdBPM5Huxv_RA5gzTNHd-lOMdwUbmI/s1600/mandragora_autumnalis_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOf4rHEDjyhwznkAHpdonDhruKs-MnfY78LfgnMuE8CMtxQNhCtR8UjzS-R1ICEoYQwhS-2f9dMsULpkP5MU-y_KCGqXIHKVduO1ZFg8OK9QqnFtdBPM5Huxv_RA5gzTNHd-lOMdwUbmI/s640/mandragora_autumnalis_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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There is no other plant in Europe associated with so many myths and legends. The Mandrake is popular due to its natural properties, and that includes (apart from the aphrodisiac effects that hebrews seemed to be so much aware of) hallucinogenic, analgesic and narcotic effects. But the bad reputation of this plant is probably due to the poisonous character of its whole - especially the root. And it is the root the basis of this whole story. The root of this plant resembles a human shape, so it was believed in the dark old times that a dangerous homunculus was the root of the plant. The imagination lead people to the world of non-sense and in the Medieval times it was believed that mandrakes could be fatal to its catcher because the homunculus root would scream so loudly while pulled out of the soil that the scream, they say, would kill the catcher. Creepy and doubtful, right? Nevertheless it was based on this myth that the price of the mandrakes became as high as an artisan's salary around the XVII century. Of course this was probably a high rentable business, people needed the plant to cast love spells, witches also to rub it on their bodies to be able to fly, and for other ordinary daily tasks that people used to do in the Middle Ages. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2WiirCAcd_xL9X9PQQGjZw7fGjI-mz6ePezh-0nGXGFf6W_twhu0Gq6WsmQY9oM3DEVkRPPGOrcU80arHsbBaZ7y93fLDpV0a-S4H53-v04hA0n1V577cF-9hchGA0oMV4CG-1lTzVo/s1600/mandrake-dioscurides.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2WiirCAcd_xL9X9PQQGjZw7fGjI-mz6ePezh-0nGXGFf6W_twhu0Gq6WsmQY9oM3DEVkRPPGOrcU80arHsbBaZ7y93fLDpV0a-S4H53-v04hA0n1V577cF-9hchGA0oMV4CG-1lTzVo/s640/mandrake-dioscurides.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The roots of the mandrake with its human shape</td></tr>
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Now, I'm going to tell you how did the ancient mandrake catcher managed without killing themselves out of that loud scream, but first let me warn you - do NOT try this at home to avoid innocent deaths! This was done by experienced men, trained and skilled for mandrake cropping. </div>
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According to medieval legends, the Mandragora roots should be collected close to the Summer solstice during full moon nights. It is wise to keep it still by wetting it with blood or urine. Then, a furrow must be dug around it until a rope can be tied to the root and the other end tied to a black dog. The catcher would then leave the place keeping his ears closed and the dog, by following the owner, will pull out the root. After this, the root is of no harm anymore and can be handled without fear. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqkdhL8sXAp_BWEE64K9c1bsFAuAA_BPXyKxQr05mxUeReTuYR9VKWVJwYLb0VMwHTfgEOjgAz-59hx1V3Jo6EW8F0YuhHrIzNmEPl6jVfiZcZ6eArAS4xTFGXpGGZdOOSEl80dYAZyA/s1600/Mandragora_Tacuinum_Sanitatis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqkdhL8sXAp_BWEE64K9c1bsFAuAA_BPXyKxQr05mxUeReTuYR9VKWVJwYLb0VMwHTfgEOjgAz-59hx1V3Jo6EW8F0YuhHrIzNmEPl6jVfiZcZ6eArAS4xTFGXpGGZdOOSEl80dYAZyA/s640/Mandragora_Tacuinum_Sanitatis.jpg" width="579" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see a professional of the Mandrake catching in action</td></tr>
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Ok, let's put some seriousness on this post, Mandragora officinarum L. belongs to the Solanaceae family and you can tell that straight away by looking at the flowers. How? Hum, good one! I think the petal tube and the 5 corolla lobes, associated with the haplostemony character of the stamens helps. The difference with Solanum species is that the dehiscence of the stamens isn't poricidal, and so Buzz Pollination doesn't happen in Mandragora.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96ZNEEggJtWLRbRLvAv9t9KBb0g_nqmZS1J8VmI_ehP-79_go0HVw4ar-WTta2v4EQusOCwPzI9bv2eBlr1UjR_3aDP4vk0qjypoYdy_yOJMY9nOP7BlZK-iexkr6TAdHNMdGDncK63c/s1600/3201218444_caab170ff5_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi96ZNEEggJtWLRbRLvAv9t9KBb0g_nqmZS1J8VmI_ehP-79_go0HVw4ar-WTta2v4EQusOCwPzI9bv2eBlr1UjR_3aDP4vk0qjypoYdy_yOJMY9nOP7BlZK-iexkr6TAdHNMdGDncK63c/s1600/3201218444_caab170ff5_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the flower showing the longitudinal dehiscence of <i>Mandragora</i> flowers </td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-78455782146204584812012-09-10T23:12:00.000+01:002015-06-30T01:38:30.338+01:00The majestic legends of a Sacred & Sad Tree<i>Had fell in love, couldn’t avoid the pain for this love wasn’t reciprocal, becoming sorrowful for the whole eternity. </i><br />
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In short, this is the legend I heard about a tree native to the Indian sub-continent – the Parijat or sad tree. The reason for such a name is something that always made me curious – why was this plant condemned to have such a dreadful and miserable destiny? Of course it had to have love involved at some level. After all, isn’t love the mother of all emotions? Love or the absence of love is the root of all feelings and such a pain that lasts the whole eternity had to be linked with this. </div>
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Let’s start by dissecting the scientific name of the plant, <i>Nyctanthes arbor-tristis </i>means literally “night-blooming sad tree”, so it does give us already a clue about the behaviour of the plant – flowers bloom at night. Taking a look at the flower and blooming patterns, the candidate pollinator can be guessed. The flowers are definitely designed to attract night-pollinators – the colour, the night-blooming condition and the characteristic sweet fragrance that Oleaceae is well-known to exude is also very strong at night. Linked with the size and shape of the flowers, I can only think of a moth to do this kind of job!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWA6UaG7el6TYwMbnCcexAGzUKewlhXKQy20m00WNu4QGIM_k04vWKN-FyOhr3F_3Yx7ZyeFQ5WGIoR9wlyaBWiidbCeajB9tEPkApu80tjKuKNk3h98aoqN0JYYt72Dthyphenhyphen1P5dKhyphenhyphenuk/s1600/Pahari_Parijata_tree_28411_600w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWA6UaG7el6TYwMbnCcexAGzUKewlhXKQy20m00WNu4QGIM_k04vWKN-FyOhr3F_3Yx7ZyeFQ5WGIoR9wlyaBWiidbCeajB9tEPkApu80tjKuKNk3h98aoqN0JYYt72Dthyphenhyphen1P5dKhyphenhyphenuk/s640/Pahari_Parijata_tree_28411_600w.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the legends say that the heavenly Parijat tree was brought to this world by Lord Krishna as a gift for one of his wives, Rukmini. [Source: www.indianminiaturepaintings.co.uk]</td></tr>
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As I mentioned in the beginning of this post, the first legend I heard is about an Indian princess, Parijat who fell in love with Surya-deva (the Sun-god), which deserted her. Heart-broken and in despair, the princess committed suicide, was cremated and brought back to life from the ashes in the form of a tree. Incapable to bear the sight of the one that lead her to kill herself, the flowers only bloom at night, and it is said that the flowers are shed like tear-drops in the first shade of dawn. It is a romantic but cruel story from which Linnaeus was probably based to name the tree. But apart from this one, there is a much important story that puts this plant into a sacred level in several Asian religions as Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Parijat tree is linked with a very famous episode from the sacred texts <i>Puranas </i>that describes a wish-fulfilling divine tree formed during the Churning of the Milky Ocean. Other legends were made around this incredible tree, but it would be an endless post if I start telling them all!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd85t0yYeZqrnIKuZ9yqPksQXkia_Ktdkb_Vo7V1Gb5exjn9p5EWl5wb9KKPchXeJqoNp2Pc1pz_7-QerEw1SInoV7Yl90qQSBDzU9uJYCPT1ra3-UfZzeuOBzGmSxnpQo-IYX7KJuNjo/s1600/SagarManthan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd85t0yYeZqrnIKuZ9yqPksQXkia_Ktdkb_Vo7V1Gb5exjn9p5EWl5wb9KKPchXeJqoNp2Pc1pz_7-QerEw1SInoV7Yl90qQSBDzU9uJYCPT1ra3-UfZzeuOBzGmSxnpQo-IYX7KJuNjo/s640/SagarManthan.jpg" width="438" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Sagar Manthan</i> by Raja Ravi Varma representing the Churning of the Milky Ocean, and the Parijat tree represented as one of the treasures churned by the gods</td></tr>
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No wonder though that this tree, known to be sorrowful, is full of stories and legends around it. It has a special behaviour, and descriptions say that the fragrance produced take us to drawn into its sweetness – it perfumes the entire universe it is said and so its essential oil is used in perfume-making. Also, it is popular for medicinal purposes in Asia, including Ayurvedic medicine.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz59xXTXE63GokkqxYLTj-J3grNGpUzJH3WE6a5gqZ2qB5QW30AsiSgCzRNG_FeEzuhPTgMG-x_hvyWXMlsPQKBGr3A5VuDIqh8uxm09pVUqUVWEA8QxGaQL7XSkt4X-AALQ6G-y8BB4/s1600/flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVz59xXTXE63GokkqxYLTj-J3grNGpUzJH3WE6a5gqZ2qB5QW30AsiSgCzRNG_FeEzuhPTgMG-x_hvyWXMlsPQKBGr3A5VuDIqh8uxm09pVUqUVWEA8QxGaQL7XSkt4X-AALQ6G-y8BB4/s640/flower.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">The flower of <i>Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. </i>[Source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/65294918@N07/">Saroj Kumar Kasaju</a>]</td></tr>
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Botanically it might be a bit boring – or is it?! This is Oleaceae, we are in the realm of Lamiales, the land of merism hodgepodge. But in Oleaceae things seem to be more pacific and there is a pattern we can rely on: usually flowers are hanged in the tips of branches forming wonderful cymoses of rather small flowers. These usually have four petals and two stamens, so it seems to be quite easy to spot a member of the Oleaceae family. But because this lovely one has to be special in every field, the merism is higher here than in the rest of the family (along with some <i>Jasminum</i>) and the number of petals can go from 5 to 8. </div>
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I am only sorry that we cannot feel fragrances through internet yet! :)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-31416992200901207642012-09-02T21:10:00.001+01:002012-09-02T21:10:43.856+01:00The legend of the money tree <br />
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<i>Dillenia indica</i> is a plant native to tropical Asia, brought to <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country> by the
Portuguese and it was a Portuguese that built up the idea of a tree that produces
money. The legend says that D. Pedro I of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country>
(D. Pedro IV of <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Portugal</st1:country>)
sent the fruits of this plant to <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Portugal</st1:country> with the note “In this
land money grows on trees”. When the Portuguese opened the fruits they were
astonished! All the fruits had <i>patacas</i>’
coins inside! – the Brazilian currency used on those days. This was a very
extravagant way that D. Pedro found to symbolize the natural richness of <st1:place w:st="on">Brazil</st1:place>. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_Z9iUoc7ZMIabskJGRAgIKygEjKwWBgzJjdK2xW6m-d0R_qk1gso5pKRyoexg79kQIwjhcSoDrM8kC5haMnB26Go85RajR33dspAdQAqRQcfHu8uCFlNiQ-l4X9gOS3G52tqNOm9qq8/s1600/d.pedro1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU_Z9iUoc7ZMIabskJGRAgIKygEjKwWBgzJjdK2xW6m-d0R_qk1gso5pKRyoexg79kQIwjhcSoDrM8kC5haMnB26Go85RajR33dspAdQAqRQcfHu8uCFlNiQ-l4X9gOS3G52tqNOm9qq8/s1600/d.pedro1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">D. Pedro I of Brazil</td></tr>
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As you can imagine that was a trick, <i>Dillenia</i>
does not grow <i>patacas</i> nor any other currency in their
fruits, but the trick was so good that the legend remained and stayed in
people’s imaginary – even today people from Portuguese speaking countries keep
talking about the <i>Patacas</i>’ tree as a
hypothetical easy way to make money, but I can assure that such trees do not exist!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPh4KxoKrGanAe71FPu7Wb5N1YNIor784_kxvV5Uk4ZwjaBODxZGyRJ6vpyPKqZZ40qvstOANUa30leHsYrdtcYCRhmjuzjL99c9LAJLmiN4fa70Zzm8F7sFSrIRjSfOT7inHuU4oOSc/s1600/2919412993_525fb27071_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPh4KxoKrGanAe71FPu7Wb5N1YNIor784_kxvV5Uk4ZwjaBODxZGyRJ6vpyPKqZZ40qvstOANUa30leHsYrdtcYCRhmjuzjL99c9LAJLmiN4fa70Zzm8F7sFSrIRjSfOT7inHuU4oOSc/s640/2919412993_525fb27071_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine what it would be like if you find a coin inside this fruit...</td></tr>
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But the mystery remains – if <i>Dillenia</i> don’t make <i>patacas</i>, how did the fruits had <i>patacas</i>
inside without being opened before? I must say D. Pedro had sense
of humor, and by using a very cheap trick he managed to keep this legend in
people’s mouth until today. The <i>Patacas</i>’
tree is known in <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country>
also as the chest-fruit tree, and the origin of this name is the key to solve the
mystery. When the flowers of <i>Dillenia</i>
are fertilized, the fruit grows in the middle as usual, however, also the
petals start developing and growing around, becoming juicy, edible and
protecting the fruit inside. Whatever you place in the flower (between the
ovary and the petals) remains there, and obviously the coins that D. Pedro placed
in the flowers remained inside until they got ripe and someone shopped the
<i>fruit</i>. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyM_NMbaI1f0GV30Uex-UwtQ7CCbvIoasFmQ4evV6x9eKAF0FezB27F3cJvqBSlO38V8WHFtVCsbS4ZhyphenhyphenjjeahhAXhGiYeet0OGjGY_Ap-1uMLGKKnAY17az-zGfEPxNK4a6uYDVVGDg/s1600/dillenia+choped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiyM_NMbaI1f0GV30Uex-UwtQ7CCbvIoasFmQ4evV6x9eKAF0FezB27F3cJvqBSlO38V8WHFtVCsbS4ZhyphenhyphenjjeahhAXhGiYeet0OGjGY_Ap-1uMLGKKnAY17az-zGfEPxNK4a6uYDVVGDg/s640/dillenia+choped.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chopped fruit of <i>Dillenia indica</i> - the coins were placed in the gap between the fleshy petals and the inner core - the real fruit! Source: <a href="http://come-se.blogspot.pt/">http://come-se.blogspot.pt</a></td></tr>
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Basically, the coins were not inside the <i>real</i> fruit, even though for non-botanists that’s what it looks
like, the petals and all organs that are part of the flower are not considered
to be the fruit, so the juicy edible petals are just that - petals and are not considered to be part of the fruit (at least, botanically speaking). For all those that are now disappointed knowing that
money really doesn’t grow on trees, at least now you know how to trick a
friend!</div>
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Even though the way that the
fruit is formed is pretty odd, also the flowers are quite impressive, and have
a lot of evolutionary clues to be demystified. From my view, one of the most
interesting morphological characters of Dilleniaceae, apart from the petals
that become part of the fruit, is the androecium. The androecium is known to be
polyandric in most cases, which means that it is formed by many stamens (more
than double the number of petals), originated by the division of common
primordia. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqCgBUsCTtHhhvQ3Kp9OK1ageihQmVA-jYcRHEMuuoScOYj85V9CXcLtZ7tjMpa68fD1UBIsmV0pFrQyslNni9Ifx_e7YceOnFoUyN0L81v6rRE0JSZsGuGm1C5NOYbiIVr6JbAQ69F4/s1600/2364242414_ddbf802ffc_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwqCgBUsCTtHhhvQ3Kp9OK1ageihQmVA-jYcRHEMuuoScOYj85V9CXcLtZ7tjMpa68fD1UBIsmV0pFrQyslNni9Ifx_e7YceOnFoUyN0L81v6rRE0JSZsGuGm1C5NOYbiIVr6JbAQ69F4/s640/2364242414_ddbf802ffc_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Dillenia indica</i> flower. Source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrebenedito/">André Benedito</a></td></tr>
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Some other morphological aspects are
said to be related with basal Caryophyllales (including the centrifugally
developing multistaminate androecium, persistent calyces and campylotrous
ovules), but the truth is that the placement of this group among eudicots is not
entirely clear yet.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-25277699675279310122012-08-03T15:42:00.001+01:002012-08-03T15:43:43.451+01:00Primula’s little secret<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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“The earthly manifestations of <i>God’s world</i> began with the
realm of plants, as a kind of direct communication from it. (…) Plants were
bound for good or ill to their places. They expressed not only the beauty but
also the thoughts of God’s world”</div>
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Carl Jung</div>
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I have heard from many people that plants are boring creatures because of their incapacity of movement, but on the other hand this is an incredible challenge they have to deal with all the time. They have to answer to with certain problems even though they cannot move or see to, for example, choose the visitors of their flowers. They need to be selective enough to attract pollinators, avoiding nectar robbers, herbivores and their own pollen (self-pollination); they are to me one of the most incredible examples of the mysterious abilities of Nature. There are many fascinating examples on pollination strategies to avoid inbreeding in plants and Primula seems to be quite talented on finding the right strategy on this matter, avoiding selfing like no other. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpZrMdx1N3imWlBMhuNjwvnF5c5AWxCZfaJpPwdjmBsBQO0HgSVPj7bDWOxn7YQdBRBAsfsmmw345nPW8F0kDbNtC51P1tUIR4k9ixWVLNfiD5c0fZ1lZK89bCymJ29JOOOEq62v3cjI/s1600/Primula_acaulis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkpZrMdx1N3imWlBMhuNjwvnF5c5AWxCZfaJpPwdjmBsBQO0HgSVPj7bDWOxn7YQdBRBAsfsmmw345nPW8F0kDbNtC51P1tUIR4k9ixWVLNfiD5c0fZ1lZK89bCymJ29JOOOEq62v3cjI/s640/Primula_acaulis.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Primula acaulis. </i>Source: <i>Flora-on</i></td></tr>
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To avoid selfing, Primula flowers managed to find a way to create hermaphrodite flowers of two different types, each type can only pollinate the other type, and each individual only forms one of the morphotypes. Pin plants (morphotype 1) have a long style and short anthers; thrum plants (morphotype 2) have a short style and long anthers. Pollen of pin plants can only grow down on the style of thrum plants and the pollen of thrum plants only fertilizes pin plants. For this reason, flowers of one type cannot be fertilized by pollen of their own type, and since one individual can’t produce both types inbreeding is hardly possible to happen. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-gwUySePGnjn0Ph-g5xfEomHsXgEJMXLzzaAJjW2-YNdG7ddgbfyesS6ce2cVt8JRG4F9F7xT7LwdmVMJmBrF1vPHfYZYJftWfOi3IXOTgUAYTcA7BTEh4AtmJ_oSI8VlzhvSl5Rnc8/s1600/primula.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc-gwUySePGnjn0Ph-g5xfEomHsXgEJMXLzzaAJjW2-YNdG7ddgbfyesS6ce2cVt8JRG4F9F7xT7LwdmVMJmBrF1vPHfYZYJftWfOi3IXOTgUAYTcA7BTEh4AtmJ_oSI8VlzhvSl5Rnc8/s640/primula.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Morphotype 1 cannot fertilize morphotype 2 and vice-versa, as the pollen is only "fertile" with the opposite morphotype</td></tr>
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The secret recipe for this special strategy can be easily explained genetically – pin plants are heterozygous (Aa) or homozygous-dominant (AA) and thrum plants are homozygous-recessive (aa). Because crossing happens only between both morphotypes, there are only two possibilities of crossing, Aa x aa or AA x aa. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2z5GvH40PApPOc6rVWhnHsPmOc3tepvax5SkL6JcjImsZ7aDsStiqn8cVgcokm8zhoz69YhzC7Vxv7G45mVJS28Zq7yfZyFIEPFDtp5ZaqvrURwSgbCFPmr-rmW1SMfWhje1K5h6it8/s1600/AAxaa2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2z5GvH40PApPOc6rVWhnHsPmOc3tepvax5SkL6JcjImsZ7aDsStiqn8cVgcokm8zhoz69YhzC7Vxv7G45mVJS28Zq7yfZyFIEPFDtp5ZaqvrURwSgbCFPmr-rmW1SMfWhje1K5h6it8/s640/AAxaa2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crossing between both morphotypes can be explained in two ways, depending on the genotype of the pin plants. If they are homozygous (AA, example on the left), all offspring will also be of the pin morphotype because their genotype will certainly be heterozygous (Aa)</td></tr>
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However, it is not as simple as this, as there is not only one locus responsible for this character, but a group of three loci tightly linked together (linkage), forming a complex locus or a super gene. Because these genes are so closed together, a cross-over that separates them is highly improbable to happen, however it may happen in rare situations and only in this rare situations self-pollination might occur. When crossing-over takes place within those loci, two complementary kinds of homostyle are formed, with the stigma characteristic of one type and the pollen characteristic of the other, allowing self-fertilization to happen. These homostyles are though naturally eliminated from most populations because of the selective disadvantage that inbreeding brings along. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRS5Ps08Q-FseUiTXCK07ZeF88iZ1gHDLofh3usQOJvuyLAh5JdKWTcfzg2HScfJtt4ZBTb_rcNG3tPZ9e4xAWDQWpQ6COfKEAfXtrp4TJzbjId5KmxvTsa0bx2eKmWAWAlx2lVzmPiaI/s1600/primulalabld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="620" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRS5Ps08Q-FseUiTXCK07ZeF88iZ1gHDLofh3usQOJvuyLAh5JdKWTcfzg2HScfJtt4ZBTb_rcNG3tPZ9e4xAWDQWpQ6COfKEAfXtrp4TJzbjId5KmxvTsa0bx2eKmWAWAlx2lVzmPiaI/s640/primulalabld.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Primula veris</i> thrum mophotype (<i>aa</i> genotype). Source: Flickr (<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/padikeo/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">padikeo</span></a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBwRqjh5EKh0jL0xr-cb3t7ovGCuxdS1opGbD5ChLeaiiLK39Voby9K4AXJ71yweagXypdZZfT3hvKUNi4N-IS2zWv06H3sYXc-GaLSEiyK71Ifd7D_pSWW2EOHV0zjCB5KRh8gezh6Q/s1600/primulastigma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOBwRqjh5EKh0jL0xr-cb3t7ovGCuxdS1opGbD5ChLeaiiLK39Voby9K4AXJ71yweagXypdZZfT3hvKUNi4N-IS2zWv06H3sYXc-GaLSEiyK71Ifd7D_pSWW2EOHV0zjCB5KRh8gezh6Q/s640/primulastigma.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><i>Primula veris </i>pin morphotype (<i>Aa</i> or <i>AA </i>genotype). Souce: Flickr (Viveka)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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So now, whenever you find a <i>Primula </i>flower, take a look at the reproductive structures, and you will be able to tell if they have an <i>AA</i>/<i>Aa</i> genotype or an <i>aa</i> genotype!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-84180192520387440402012-07-28T16:48:00.000+01:002012-07-28T16:48:17.485+01:00The involving aroma of seductive Oman<br />
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Walking in the charming markets
of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Oman</st1:country-region>
is not only about what we see, it is much about the scents. Unlike most places
I’ve visited in Europe and Asia, in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Oman</st1:country-region> even the Market (<i>Suq</i> in Arabic) has a lovely aroma, leaving
a comfortable warm feeling in the air. I could feel this scent everywhere – in
the streets, markets, houses, clothes and it is about the best memories I have
from this land. Therefore I still keep a wee wooden box filled with Omani frankincense
in my room, and whenever I open this box the aroma makes me fly back to <st1:place w:st="on">Arabia</st1:place>, so I do it several times. And I do also keep a
little scented stone on my wallet, just because it’s nice.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGichf3232fVhhxqDz1LaUFPJTEtNEjSaWnle3ElbmZWMXePu1SQdFinj1x67crqVmcRNt2WXgftmcB0YOEfU6sFtH8wWfogL9kdKgbmDNRP81RwawjuKYOr-lquPKWjEr-XCXtskNu8/s1600/SAM_1541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGichf3232fVhhxqDz1LaUFPJTEtNEjSaWnle3ElbmZWMXePu1SQdFinj1x67crqVmcRNt2WXgftmcB0YOEfU6sFtH8wWfogL9kdKgbmDNRP81RwawjuKYOr-lquPKWjEr-XCXtskNu8/s400/SAM_1541.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frankincense from Oman</td></tr>
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Frankincense is very special and
sacred since ancient times, and in the past it was equated to gold in the
market. It was used as an offering to gods, and as a medicinal fumigant for
diseases and against evil odors. Egyptians also believed that frankincense was
the sweat of Gods. Frankincense is also mentioned several times in the Bible, and
it has been used to make holy incense used for worship since the time of Moses.
In Christianity it is very much known as one of the three gifts to baby Jesus,
along with myrrh and gold, representing the divinity of Christ, as it was used
as an offering to God.</div>
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All that made sense to me, and I do
understand the status of divinity associated with this odoriferous resin –
frankincense has a unique and magical aroma, leading you to a deep involvement
with the place. And it is not to be surprised that it brings so many feelings
as it comes from the plant’s own “blood”, carrying along all the purity of its
nature. It is much as you have the whole soul of the desert transformed in the sense
of smell.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5hMX9vZbCTVO7EUSBn-Vn1tSuhY9zpRPgdzgz0hrFGpuIMMYT6WrAwxayWbwaLIupF6Kn4oa28DVORvlicFH_xsiF1can3WNoMkARBW4Yx3Uwfwd5vqPCOzw0j7JlTXl8Oj73rnVNz0/s1600/IMG_4498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5hMX9vZbCTVO7EUSBn-Vn1tSuhY9zpRPgdzgz0hrFGpuIMMYT6WrAwxayWbwaLIupF6Kn4oa28DVORvlicFH_xsiF1can3WNoMkARBW4Yx3Uwfwd5vqPCOzw0j7JlTXl8Oj73rnVNz0/s640/IMG_4498.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sap from wild <i>Boswellia sacra</i>. Photo by: Khalid Al Farsi</td></tr>
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Frankincense stones are nothing
but the dried sap (resin) of <i>Boswellia
sacra</i> (Burseraceae), a shrubby tree native to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Oman</st1:country-region>,
<st1:country-region w:st="on">Yemen</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on">Somalia</st1:country-region>, growing also in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ethiopia</st1:country-region>.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaHK25SjC-X7KAQSCZlDpT2CX67XG55Rtew7s-XswyqA-gx4FnBIBvbjRHDzjpVygLTYMF1jb6MZzXhyy9cMovJEtCwYadvuoREWy9UNBiNKwR9VuxzzqqpZuBN7RXHwOIj1Q8739F04/s1600/IMG_4502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEaHK25SjC-X7KAQSCZlDpT2CX67XG55Rtew7s-XswyqA-gx4FnBIBvbjRHDzjpVygLTYMF1jb6MZzXhyy9cMovJEtCwYadvuoREWy9UNBiNKwR9VuxzzqqpZuBN7RXHwOIj1Q8739F04/s640/IMG_4502.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural habitat of <i>Boswellia sacra</i>, in Omani lands. Photo by: Khalid Al Farsi</td></tr>
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Burseraceae is a family belonging
to Sapindales, having Anacardiaceae as a sister family. The flowers are small
but gorgeous, organized in racemes. Floral structures are simple, not hard to recognize,
and they seem to have what well-behaved Rosid is expected to have: five sepals,
five petals, 10 stamens arranged in 2 rows of five, a superior ovary and a beautiful
and wide nectary disc. The most characteristic structures here are the white
broad petals, and the conspicuous fleshy nectaries.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq6ekJQ0AIbTku-BxecdajKlfHz6ZnBNM7eFJVpAX3PA1rKurRAaXm1Wee6isvwVGpu1vNlzlLWZ5ksv0g1ejY8T8ctGS1KMVTiD1cQM_tq3aV0REU2NXY_wQBV8npVVIepedgnpTtmE/s1600/2377416728_90d93139b4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq6ekJQ0AIbTku-BxecdajKlfHz6ZnBNM7eFJVpAX3PA1rKurRAaXm1Wee6isvwVGpu1vNlzlLWZ5ksv0g1ejY8T8ctGS1KMVTiD1cQM_tq3aV0REU2NXY_wQBV8npVVIepedgnpTtmE/s1600/2377416728_90d93139b4_o.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers of <i>Boswellia sacra</i>. Source: Flickr (Scott Zona)<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTBCj0KXBuOMKjcQyp5QYfG6WYYFexHinbbaxSpVm5IWeHbmQkxc2CUm3hBPwmppJ5EYhURo8aWfCMXEMGLadAxm-4Pjsownz3EXHtIRNvH0E9im4Q-lsPDS4xxJ-hhkrGjPCkGTC1mw/s1600/boswellia+flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTBCj0KXBuOMKjcQyp5QYfG6WYYFexHinbbaxSpVm5IWeHbmQkxc2CUm3hBPwmppJ5EYhURo8aWfCMXEMGLadAxm-4Pjsownz3EXHtIRNvH0E9im4Q-lsPDS4xxJ-hhkrGjPCkGTC1mw/s640/boswellia+flower.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Notice that the first row of stamens (closer to the petal row) is opposite the sepals, and the second row (closer to the gynoecium) is opposite the petals. Sorry for the low quality of the pictures.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />I admit that today the story wasn’t much of a flower story, but I felt like introducing you this very special plant that brings along with it a high spiritual feeling. Unfortunately, it seems that the wild population of these trees is declining due to a lower regeneration caused by the early death of the youngs before flowering and thus, seeding. However, it seems that it is not considered to be threatened, according to the IUCN Red List, and we hope that it remains likewise and that the population of Boswellia can grow happy and healthy, inspiring us all with its warm and exotic sense from South Arabia.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-28432693917893152332012-07-22T23:21:00.000+01:002012-07-22T23:21:21.422+01:00The family from the skies<br />
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“Aster” is the greek name for
“Star”, which is also the name of the type genus of one of the most diverse
families of flowering plants: Asteraceae (also known in Botany under the old
name of Compositae). </div>
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When I think of the name
Asteraceae I cannot avoid thinking about the supreme star that lights and heats
the planet we live in. In fact, I think the name <i>Aster</i> is well attributed due to morphological similarities that we
might find between an Asteraceae flower and a star, or even the Sun itself.
Stars usually have a core and irradiate light through rays of light. In
Asteraceae inflorescences do also resemble stars by having the core flowers
tightly grouped in the centre and the ray flowers on the edges. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1WrWwQ1S2k5i_zCoD07M26pvfKXUUqFqAHCi92zvRzQ-pUt4MsuT6uxExRenp2tsf7pVyHg51G5P07marfQAOCTJxH-sX5XJVt9oU3tmJVUysW7-4W6-mE0RyahY4x7-k5uOQjVhy44/s1600/flower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1WrWwQ1S2k5i_zCoD07M26pvfKXUUqFqAHCi92zvRzQ-pUt4MsuT6uxExRenp2tsf7pVyHg51G5P07marfQAOCTJxH-sX5XJVt9oU3tmJVUysW7-4W6-mE0RyahY4x7-k5uOQjVhy44/s640/flower.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The fact of having this extremely
cosmopolitan and diverse family under the name of “Star”, makes me think that
they can be found anywhere in the world as easily as finding stars in the dark
sky above. So let’s explore a bit the secret recipe for the high success of this
family which became the largest among core eudicots. They which are so
widespread that can be found naturalized in all continents (except Antartica)
and in most environments. Such success must be related with their floral
morphology! And if it’s not directly related with the floral morphology it
doesn’t matter because I will introduce it anyway.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRveqOo-fdgX66tUUu88UqftsEoxCChqBtJzI9Jfbs6PC5gI5W_d6zniS7iCnNiw6cDHbL5vPjluJd_jpXbAIiU5B23R2HDwT205vtoCqQy0tjUpzfUr9pIodKWKcmAk4sfPLjNt21OSQ/s1600/aster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRveqOo-fdgX66tUUu88UqftsEoxCChqBtJzI9Jfbs6PC5gI5W_d6zniS7iCnNiw6cDHbL5vPjluJd_jpXbAIiU5B23R2HDwT205vtoCqQy0tjUpzfUr9pIodKWKcmAk4sfPLjNt21OSQ/s640/aster2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The inflorescence type is an
exclusive of the family, it is very odd and it comes in a pseudanthium-like
inflorescence. I bet some of you are now wondering what the pseudanthium is, or
scrolled down the window to check on the glossary. Botanists call <i>pseudanthium </i>to some types of
inflorescences where flowers are organized in such a way forming a structure
that looks like a single flower, even though it’s a group of flowers! We find
these pseudanthia in all Asteraceae, and in this family the pseudanthia are
special as they are organized in a disc. The botanical name Compositae was also
based on the morphology of such inflorescences, which can also be called
compound flowers, meaning a <i>flower</i>
made out of many flowers, or opposite to single flower. </div>
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When it comes to Asteraceae, even
some structures have special names as they don’t occur in other plant groups, starting
with the inflorescence, the <i>capitulum</i>.
Also the calyx usually differentiates into a <i>pappus</i> (a series of hairs or bristles) instead of the typical 5
sepals. Petals are always fused, forming a stamen-petal tube (disc flowers) or
forming the monosymmetric corolla we find in peripherical flowers. Finally, the
tubular flowers are bisexual but the peripherical ligulate flowers are usually
pistillate (lacking male organs) or sterile.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnCk6THc-8sTVQlrfQUp4dWXKMJwHxPNJBZ5Oaw-n9d-78f373bNQ01pUwt6Gh7-XdljfMdn8jpLO2QuGV9kRJtu5lTxXExACXDCGHuGXPPID6T-DSIbvOwFCKgSmSTcboRs8GQZdFDg/s1600/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZnCk6THc-8sTVQlrfQUp4dWXKMJwHxPNJBZ5Oaw-n9d-78f373bNQ01pUwt6Gh7-XdljfMdn8jpLO2QuGV9kRJtu5lTxXExACXDCGHuGXPPID6T-DSIbvOwFCKgSmSTcboRs8GQZdFDg/s640/Picture1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florets of an Asteraceae <i>cappitulum</i></td></tr>
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One of the most interesting
characters of these flowers is known by the secondary pollination mechanism.
This mechanism is simple and effective at the same time. The tube formed around
the stigma on tubular flowers is the basis of this mechanism, as stamens are
organized all very tight around the gynoecium, and when it pops outside the
flower, it is covered with pollen on the outer (abaxial) side of the stigma.
This mechanism is interestingly effective as it avoids self-pollination (as the
pollen is attached to the abaxial side of the stigma and the fertile region is
the inner or adaxial side, which only opens when it sticks totally out from the
floral tube).</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfKQuLQgQgsOFGdgwyRwReEM1qJB30zvTddV-FaBHl72Kl6VPLn9hFhRBYfGVm0JvSKkxT8c2Lk3JyJT-9vM2fogl3LTE4sJPf5hddGoQpVrxqsqFODukb3_8ZhdsscZdx482BYD332o/s1600/pollination+syndomme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyfKQuLQgQgsOFGdgwyRwReEM1qJB30zvTddV-FaBHl72Kl6VPLn9hFhRBYfGVm0JvSKkxT8c2Lk3JyJT-9vM2fogl3LTE4sJPf5hddGoQpVrxqsqFODukb3_8ZhdsscZdx482BYD332o/s640/pollination+syndomme.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">The pollen gets attached to the abaxial side of the stigma, the receptive part of the stigma is the adaxial side. Mature anthers in the left side and mature stigmas in the right side. The ovaries are always bicarpellate and inferior.<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-82951500525741598902012-07-12T23:17:00.000+01:002012-07-28T21:39:30.167+01:00The beauty of simplicityI have been trying for long time to talk about palm tree flowers. Palm trees have a great symbology in some religions, being considered as the tree of life in ancient Egypt, and in the Kabballah. In Judaism it has a symbolic importance as one of the four plants used during the Sukkot, according to the Torah. Also in the Quraan palm trees, especially date palm trees, are mentioned several times, and so a certain significance is given in the Islamic culture. In Christianity, palm leaves are used to celebrate the Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry in Jerusalem. It happens that in the region where all these monotheistic religions were founded, palm trees are probably the taller trees growing in the wild, so it does not surprise me that they are mentioned in the sacred books in many different occasions, giving them this mysticism.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GzOYdIPz5g-Ifehesq7upGENYXqfG1zIQeSaubdTnTlkHXsJzQVGx2F7Q5Ws5WcwC2Og9aND9aVu4dTmZ_gHrGVymw3l-sXjtYOmrlpKELSNdhEBRpvsMwS3CFXtAs_1jALeUFy90aA/s1600/palm+Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6GzOYdIPz5g-Ifehesq7upGENYXqfG1zIQeSaubdTnTlkHXsJzQVGx2F7Q5Ws5WcwC2Og9aND9aVu4dTmZ_gHrGVymw3l-sXjtYOmrlpKELSNdhEBRpvsMwS3CFXtAs_1jALeUFy90aA/s640/palm+Mary.jpg" width="442" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Virgin Mary nurtured by a palm tree, as described in the Quran (Source: Wikipedia) <br /><br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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However, Arecaceae (the family of palm trees) is originally from tropical and sub-tropical regions, where they are much more diverse due to the typical wet and hot conditions. That is probably why palm trees are usually associated with our idea of paradisiacal islands, exotic beaches and holiday’s advertisements. Only in South-East Asia these trees started to gain a different meaning to me. They were part of the landscape everywhere, giving that tropical touch to the surrounding environment. I could find them in the beach, in the mountains, near the rivers, you name it! And even though I have never paid much attention to these plants because I never found them neither pretty nor very attractive, it seemed to me that I was starting to understand their beauty somehow. In Thailand I had the opportunity to look closely at the flowers like never before, and it was like finding a hidden treasure that nobody have ever heard about.</div>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GSfHtQR7iq24XWjZJZrqsA-hySaIdHUWxi4DJhzfPcX-9p2X8QDV2hzb2bC0cq1sQxcGmhd_cTeFKgP7wUPvSpk6mtt9gX1wN4eDHJh71jYnMIC97vWvVLVFcV33OLp1J185AGjbFvg/s1600/palms2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GSfHtQR7iq24XWjZJZrqsA-hySaIdHUWxi4DJhzfPcX-9p2X8QDV2hzb2bC0cq1sQxcGmhd_cTeFKgP7wUPvSpk6mtt9gX1wN4eDHJh71jYnMIC97vWvVLVFcV33OLp1J185AGjbFvg/s640/palms2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male inflorescences and flowers of <i>Pinanga sylvestris</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2EZ2c3pE2u10VgUo9U46DeGBPoJX4QaYX2Fe1kAWKRvitj7XdAnyRx9dk0DCxJnfG0SQgTpv_mDuWPs4R8Es-xort38Qc2Jf3hOkiJ826MTqtKdFAhjl4Ms_vPcjO3FS0a4UkVH1d4c/s1600/female+palm+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2EZ2c3pE2u10VgUo9U46DeGBPoJX4QaYX2Fe1kAWKRvitj7XdAnyRx9dk0DCxJnfG0SQgTpv_mDuWPs4R8Es-xort38Qc2Jf3hOkiJ826MTqtKdFAhjl4Ms_vPcjO3FS0a4UkVH1d4c/s640/female+palm+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female tree, infructescences and fruits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The flowers are amazing, they are tiny and immaculate, strong and vivacious – a mix between delicacy and will to live. It was like the flowers were confident and ready for the adversities of the world! Yes, I kind of gave them “flowerality” (or the “personality” of the flower). However, I thought that the structure itself was a bit inglorious to talk about, in the sense that they are so simple that it won’t bring anything new, but I will introduce you the palm tree flower structures anyway! Like all monocots they are trimerous, having a bipartite perianth of 3 organs (3+3 tepals), and 2 whorls of 3 stamens. The carpels are also trimerous. The flowers can be both uni- or bi-sexual, depending on the species, but they are usually small and white, organized in panicles or spikes hanging from the tree top.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42bjRfZSzeHTfhoOxw6pZaXBaecnkUWj_gDrnlkrWmYQWWDNhN4gwuBnkRPWjYlmC9A5fRTCrWXeoqhTlWmdMyPUr62FRUWpoT5uve3FFaQBPXFLrKJPmsg7hciUYJ7eRf8mUt1Bz170/s1600/Palm+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh42bjRfZSzeHTfhoOxw6pZaXBaecnkUWj_gDrnlkrWmYQWWDNhN4gwuBnkRPWjYlmC9A5fRTCrWXeoqhTlWmdMyPUr62FRUWpoT5uve3FFaQBPXFLrKJPmsg7hciUYJ7eRf8mUt1Bz170/s640/Palm+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bi-sexual flowers of palm tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
How did such a small and simple flower return such a feeling of amazement? Maybe there was nothing complex to show you here, but isn't simplicity the purest sense of beauty? Isn’t simplicity effective? There is no doubt about this! Keeping it simple seems to be the watchword in palm flowers, and that leads to a pollination syndrome which is still not very well defined in many groups only because it is not specific. <br />
<br />
It is just simple, effective and beautiful.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-85622971363872468972012-06-27T10:18:00.001+01:002012-06-28T11:00:31.302+01:00The Apple of Sodom<br />
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It was another beautiful sunny
day in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> and I had
decided to go outside <st1:city w:st="on">Jerusalem</st1:city> to see the <st1:place w:st="on">Dead Sea</st1:place> like all well behaved tourists do. Just before I
get there, I have decided to walk around in that inspiring desert environment
that surrounds the area, right close to Ein Gedi. After passing by a family of
wild gazelles that made me company for few minutes, I stopped by a wonderful
tall shrub. I was standing by a stunning member of Apocynaceae. The plant was <i>Calotropis procera</i> and their flowers, as
usual, took the breath out of me! They were fleshy, big and colourful and the only
thing I wished was to have someone with me so I could share all my thoughts
about those flowers. But there was nobody passing by for as long as I stayed in
the area, and the gazelles wouldn’t understand my excitement about their food,
so I stay just admiring them for while. In such a harsh environment, the last
thing I was expecting to find was such showy purple flowers – that shrub was
just like an oasis of beauty in the desert.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUeHrGVXIcdR8Rv7u3o0cagzFA-pkSRLgbdX72QgOl8UbHlFotgtFfL6-j8EEjjVo7ueFXgook9Jb6uqG0WTToTX7mZcS9ZOjeJzzyU8Xtc7K1-mbjeZdY9xQukIhXPms-PhFw86sYGY/s1600/Picture8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhUeHrGVXIcdR8Rv7u3o0cagzFA-pkSRLgbdX72QgOl8UbHlFotgtFfL6-j8EEjjVo7ueFXgook9Jb6uqG0WTToTX7mZcS9ZOjeJzzyU8Xtc7K1-mbjeZdY9xQukIhXPms-PhFw86sYGY/s640/Picture8.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the left side: the gazelle happy family; on the right side: the shrub with the Dead Sea on the background</td></tr>
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My astonishment was nothing but
the proof of my infinite ignorance: these plants are actually quite common,
especially the <st1:place w:st="on">Dead Sea</st1:place> region. They are
commonly called the “Apple of Sodom” because of the characters of the fruits,
which are as big as apples and because of their dehiscence. The fruits are described
as “exploding” or “dissolve into smoke and ashes” when you try to pluck them,
possibly remembering the biblical scriptures of the destruction of <st1:city w:st="on">Sodom</st1:city> and <st1:city w:st="on">Gomorrah</st1:city>.
This happens only because the fruits are hollow, but unfortunately didn’t have
the opportunity to see them “dissolving” on my hands as the plants were not
fruiting yet. The seeds produce silky strands which can be used as wicks for
oil lamps, except in Jewish <i>Shabbat </i>lamps, according to the <i>Mishna</i>. These
strands may also be used as natural textile fibers for other purposes. This
biblical plant, as a member of Apocynaceae, produces a toxic milky sap, so be
careful while handling it! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyD4uu3zbtqTvnydzJ7s7kzgasX2TgCz1vyFlYleuVau0g651PaovnsqWBP2QU9l7x3Mg6gTjxJIzz7bIMAs1CmCQUCc8XwdaO-0-Wl7vaD0nyylj9pGZXJCo_A1GK4OU_iadMWAPOlpQ/s1600/Calotropis_procera_fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyD4uu3zbtqTvnydzJ7s7kzgasX2TgCz1vyFlYleuVau0g651PaovnsqWBP2QU9l7x3Mg6gTjxJIzz7bIMAs1CmCQUCc8XwdaO-0-Wl7vaD0nyylj9pGZXJCo_A1GK4OU_iadMWAPOlpQ/s640/Calotropis_procera_fruit.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruits of <i>Calotropis procera</i> (Source: Flowersinisrael.com)</td></tr>
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Unfortunately I didn’t dissect any
flowers, so I don’t have good pictures to show morphological characters, but I
will try to make it understandable. In Asclepioideae (old Asclepiadaceae
family, today a sub-family of Apocynaceae) there is a structure called <i>gynostegium</i>. The <i>gynostegium</i> is the fusion between stamens and stigma and it is only
known to be found in this family, however it resembles another structure
appearing in a totally different family: Orchidaceae. The structure described
in Orchidaceae is the <i>gynostemium</i>,
and is also described as the reproductive structure of Aristolochiaceae. But
the difference between a <i>gynostegium</i>
and a <i>gynostemium</i> is not easy to
detect, it is a matter of timing of fusion during the development of the
flowers. While in Orchids and Aristolochiaceae the fusion between stamens and
style is congenital, in Apocynaceae the same fusion is postgenital. But the
problem now is to understand the difference between congenital and postgenital
fusions. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpejRKA35keltcPyGDnU2BSd5mtvcoi52I82r-X48ywrqxKL1A-9ykVMloeWLue1W9B5eMi-oMk5SGJkYV2Fc9-AtGN26xRHfLamWu_45i8cfC4tg7wJJSmiU12ZJ1afi6PYPOmP6oF38/s1600/Picture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpejRKA35keltcPyGDnU2BSd5mtvcoi52I82r-X48ywrqxKL1A-9ykVMloeWLue1W9B5eMi-oMk5SGJkYV2Fc9-AtGN26xRHfLamWu_45i8cfC4tg7wJJSmiU12ZJ1afi6PYPOmP6oF38/s640/Picture4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower detail of <i>Calotropis procera</i></td></tr>
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These terms might be confusing to
explain and understand, so to make it simple I would just say that the real
fusion is the postgenital fusion, as we can identify it as a fusion. In postgenital
fusion the organs develop independently until a certain point where they start
fusing to each other by marginal adhesion. In congenital fusion you cannot see
this for the simple reason that the organs are actually growing and developing
together since the beginning. </div>
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It seems sometimes that botanists
like to make up random names just to make other people, but terminology is a
useful tool. In this case the names are so similar that they can without a
doubt become a misunderstanding problem easily! The truth is that humans try to
understand Nature the best they can by inventing names to communicate with
other people, share knowledge and think together. But then we have to interpret
the words we’ve created to try to understand plants – at the end it seems that
botanists just like to play word-games. And it is much more fun to use words
hard to pronounce.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-86060726290677401292012-06-24T11:58:00.002+01:002012-06-24T11:58:37.795+01:00Ranunculaceae and the origin of petals<br />
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There are events that change the
course of evolution. In my opinion one of the most important events that have
changed the course of evolution in flowering plants was the transition between spiral
to cyclic flowers. This episode was obviously gradual as everything in Nature
is, but it is still incredible to observe this transition in living plants and
there is a group telling us this episode better then any other. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1Bz72HmX9vrw6oEa_m34nGRT5yEWfAngo0HhcmdUECptbt1iPekgBzrsXB2evI17MqWbzVJrn9gf447X59jWMM_93MzhYMxIzkwyv_wvdt-0tBmrktlw3AX21XqmzITCKg8O_0x1ypY/s1600/tree1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1Bz72HmX9vrw6oEa_m34nGRT5yEWfAngo0HhcmdUECptbt1iPekgBzrsXB2evI17MqWbzVJrn9gf447X59jWMM_93MzhYMxIzkwyv_wvdt-0tBmrktlw3AX21XqmzITCKg8O_0x1ypY/s640/tree1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early diverging eudicots from APG III tree</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<i>Early diverging eudicots</i> is the transitional group between basal
angiosperms and core eudicots. In fact, plants belonging to this group are
inbetweeners, they share characters from both groups, bringing an extreme
floral diversity to the plant world. They were the authors of many innovations,
such as nectaries, zygomorphy, perianth differentiation in two different whorls
(calyx and corolla) and many other novelties. One of the best examples of this
diversity is Ranunculaceae, and today I have brought one of the most stunning
creations of this family in the form of <i>Aquilegia</i>.
In fact, most members of Ranunculaceae have incredible structures where you can
almost interpret the gradual formation of cyclic flowers, many of them with extravagant
nectaries acting also as petals. <i>Aquilegia</i>
is just another example, and the flowers are pretty much incredible!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_rIzogZrGZkr-JKpL0kSGsoGsju0pLtXUpp_GdhukGHO1PXCSrKCTJrIrAhSLH-kkk244aTpOHm_gWhlC-UKa8V7gHfuwvkgw4-CMoJg7h3AL0MxpKLj1zO0e_OUp073tpqkHE2CdV8/s1600/aquilegia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_rIzogZrGZkr-JKpL0kSGsoGsju0pLtXUpp_GdhukGHO1PXCSrKCTJrIrAhSLH-kkk244aTpOHm_gWhlC-UKa8V7gHfuwvkgw4-CMoJg7h3AL0MxpKLj1zO0e_OUp073tpqkHE2CdV8/s640/aquilegia.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view (left) and front view (right) of <i>Aquilegia</i> flower</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In <i>Aquilegia</i>, pentamery is already established, and we can easily find
the bipartite perianth with 5 sepals and 5 petals. The petals, however have a
very particular character – they are spurred, producing nectar to attract
pollinators. This is the reason why many authors prefer using the term “nectar
leaves” instead of “petals” in Ranunculaceae. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRkp6YVh-Xahn6uAcmIz2JokrXfrafugFKZrqs1gnsB23IQpy3eaNwXohnhKE4MDttExEvltuCOpc4o_Qx2kxq9V_rXTrWzO6v9S-6cf64vDEAGg5Q5dlVWRKqCR3XTMUQKkiUGT3SaM/s1600/aquilegia2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQRkp6YVh-Xahn6uAcmIz2JokrXfrafugFKZrqs1gnsB23IQpy3eaNwXohnhKE4MDttExEvltuCOpc4o_Qx2kxq9V_rXTrWzO6v9S-6cf64vDEAGg5Q5dlVWRKqCR3XTMUQKkiUGT3SaM/s640/aquilegia2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left: View of the back of <i>Aquilegia</i> flower; Right: Detail of Nectar leaf of <i>Aquilegia</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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These nectar leaves are of extreme importance on the
evolution of a bipartite perianth, and in Ranunculaceae this transitional
situation is still visible. They are not true petals yet, but structurally
that’s how we interpret these structures. The tepals, structurally acting as
sepals in this <i>Aquilegia</i> are the true
perianth members of the flower. The nectar leaves are nothing more than stamens
that lost their original reproductive function, becoming staminodes (or sterile
stamens) and latter gaining a new function to attract pollinators. This is how
true petals were born, they are nothing but modified staminodes that evolved in
the direction of pollinator attraction. On the other hand, sepals evolved
directly from tepals (leaves) gaining the function of organ protection (the
reproductive organs – stamens and carpels). </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86UBSx5CUPkQnkkUG7x1K_iLryzfJuUuh9qsqou2VPLBzYtZIKkuVFYXRT6myRFHDWhNOVbgxBhA73I3Zam2F_mxa0ig1Uaq1LtJHDYBkBjXpH9fvg75l0cV0Sr6DuxfV-1-P4nmbAAY/s1600/scheme2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi86UBSx5CUPkQnkkUG7x1K_iLryzfJuUuh9qsqou2VPLBzYtZIKkuVFYXRT6myRFHDWhNOVbgxBhA73I3Zam2F_mxa0ig1Uaq1LtJHDYBkBjXpH9fvg75l0cV0Sr6DuxfV-1-P4nmbAAY/s640/scheme2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Origin of petals in <i>Aquilegia</i>. The outer whorl of stamens loosing the reproductive function, and gaining later the function of pollinator attraction, becoming showy and colourful (like petals) and producing nectar. Tepals at the same time gain the function of flower protection, like sepals.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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However, some researchers believe that the origin of petals
is not entirely the same for all members of Ranunculaceae. Some members of the
family might indeed have their bipartite perianth as a result of the ascension
of the bracts to the base of the receptacle, originating the sepals. Likewise,
the true perianth (the tepals) gave origin to the petals. Ranunculaceae seems
to be a family of flower structure experiments, trying which structure is the
best to have. In any case, it seems that after this group pentamery and
bipartite perianth were successfully achieved characters, well established in
the rest of Eudicots.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-2932558326057938642012-06-14T15:08:00.003+01:002012-06-14T15:08:36.102+01:00The Portuguese Oak<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have decided to honor <st1:place w:st="on">Portugal</st1:place> with this week’s post for
two reasons: to celebrate the National Day of Portugal (which was last Sunday ,
the 10<sup>th</sup> of June), but also to support the Portuguese team at the
UEFA Euro 2012. So I have decided to bring you today the Portuguese national
plant – <i>Quercus suber</i>, the cork oak. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Quercus</i> is a
monoecious anemophilous plant, meaning that the sexual organs are separated in
different flowers and are wind-pollinated. Thus the flowers are simple, small
and shy, with a rather simple structure, but I thought this is a good
opportunity to introduce you the wonders of wind-pollination. Anemophilous
plants (wind-pollinated) are mainly found in two orders: Fagales and Poales and
this, first of all, give us some clues about the environment shared among wind-pollinated
plants. They are either trees (Fagales) or grasses (Poales), possibly due to the fact that
flowers bloom high in the canopy, where the pollen is easily reached by the
wind, but not as much by small insects. Another reason is possibly the windy and dry
conditions found in steppes or desert-like environments where grasses reign.
In such environments, the wind is a common and available resource
much prevalent and reliable than insects. Possibly, also due to the winds typical of such
environments insects are here less abundant comparing with, for example, forest-like
environments. For this reason, plants found here have started to invest their energy in other characters, allowing a more efficient
pollination and thus the flowers became adapted to wind pollination. </div>
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<br /></div>
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To make it easier for you to understand the main differences
between anemophilous and entomophilous (insect-pollinated) plants, I have made
this table to share with you:</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcqdELrNXHN4xEYeB1i_0wKn7_StCR0mSAjy9dhcoAgNXRkkL-SwLxLta20c-VLvWDtfcjCx8eWBRKS6Dkuc0cIe0xGeAEsm6cs0ho8-I4kod5pDJwQn1sJVOA1cbtyFvO9a6DxFfxTs/s1600/table2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLcqdELrNXHN4xEYeB1i_0wKn7_StCR0mSAjy9dhcoAgNXRkkL-SwLxLta20c-VLvWDtfcjCx8eWBRKS6Dkuc0cIe0xGeAEsm6cs0ho8-I4kod5pDJwQn1sJVOA1cbtyFvO9a6DxFfxTs/s640/table2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Comparision between Anemophilous and Entomophilous floral characters</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Because anemophilous plants have no need to attract
anything, there is no need to invest energy producing big showy flowers, or
expensive precious nectar. Instead, these plants produce many small flowers and
large quantities of light pollen, which can be easily carried away by the wind.
To facilitate the wind to take the pollen away, the petals are much reduced,
and sometimes they are completely missing. Likewise, the stamens are hanging
outside the flowers, waiting for the breeze. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqvHIe1xpdxEHP-WPRoowvDQaDHkH9qtGD4h68Su3OycRxgVb7gJaO7mCMvgCn4jYPKEdHcIzhTJ0Ub9-RAHVrx8Q1KTYFMLCGeV8PcGLJbdIJPHBw8GtOGi9mgfsjNM5IwiNAbU-39U/s1600/Quercus_suber.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQqvHIe1xpdxEHP-WPRoowvDQaDHkH9qtGD4h68Su3OycRxgVb7gJaO7mCMvgCn4jYPKEdHcIzhTJ0Ub9-RAHVrx8Q1KTYFMLCGeV8PcGLJbdIJPHBw8GtOGi9mgfsjNM5IwiNAbU-39U/s640/Quercus_suber.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male inflorescence of <i>Quercus suber</i> with the stamens hanging outside the flowers<br />(Source: www.flora-on.pt)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Also the typical inflorescences found in Fagales are
definitely adapted to this pollination syndrome. Catkins of small and light
flowers are easily moved and shacked even by a light breeze, and this allows
the pollen to be released and spread easily. Because the pollination isn’t
specialized like in entomophilous plants, the stigmas also have to be adapted
to the wind pollination, so the surface of pollen reception is much bigger.
This can be very easily observed in Poales, where the stigmas are long and
feather-like, increasing the surface for an effective pollen reception. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj354rt7RFXY9MgDPbQIbRjGt7UQKmvZWKx2leXhyphenhyphenoYhOUUWR9r6EwnGlfMAR_ADyR9MVCInPmj4CzINS6bbqeGLGcRhH2ZiE1Rhm2VqTtbVkbA9g2mqOfc0uJQIMBHXx2UX58MJlCEZgA/s1600/Grasses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj354rt7RFXY9MgDPbQIbRjGt7UQKmvZWKx2leXhyphenhyphenoYhOUUWR9r6EwnGlfMAR_ADyR9MVCInPmj4CzINS6bbqeGLGcRhH2ZiE1Rhm2VqTtbVkbA9g2mqOfc0uJQIMBHXx2UX58MJlCEZgA/s640/Grasses.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feather-like stigmas typical of grasses. Left: <i>Arrhenatherum album</i>; Right: <i>Ammophila arenaria </i>(Source: www.flora-on.pt)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Also, the position of the inflorescences in the tree isn’t
random – male flowers are found in the lower older twigs and female flowers in
the upper younger twigs. This is to avoid self-pollination (it is more unlikely
that the pollen from below flies up and fertilizes the female flowers, but if
female flowers were below, any pollen grain falling from the catkins above
could fertilize them).</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKz9HDNOFkNq9bZRZEhBKKTI-laIVcAXu2oXTjT0XeUMPA1XGw5efBi8VCSnhkpcuznIu7X9FBc7dzpdmyIj7azixKl06TKtvsbKZxDWb3P7jPp0nvsCivwWZmBdLueG1By-cEH4S8Pk/s1600/quercus+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="556" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKz9HDNOFkNq9bZRZEhBKKTI-laIVcAXu2oXTjT0XeUMPA1XGw5efBi8VCSnhkpcuznIu7X9FBc7dzpdmyIj7azixKl06TKtvsbKZxDWb3P7jPp0nvsCivwWZmBdLueG1By-cEH4S8Pk/s640/quercus+flowers.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers and inflorescences of <i>Quercus suber</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Wind-pollinated flowers are so shy that they can be unnoticed many times, especially by non-botanists. The truth is that they are not hiding, they are right there and it is fascinating to observe all the structures that seem to be undercover by the green foliage. Finding them is like finding a precious treasure, which is visible for everyone, but unnoticed by most people. That is the reason why every time I show wind-pollinated flowers to non-botanists they become astonished and quite surprised... These flowers might not be the prettiest, but they are pretty cool too.</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-20841924378970594412012-06-07T13:25:00.001+01:002012-06-07T13:27:53.983+01:00The Passion flower<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
What is the first think you think of when someone mentions <i>passion</i>? Perhaps romantic love? Physical
or sexual attraction for someone, or maybe just sex? Do you think of the same
meaning of passion when the subject is the passion vine? What is the origin of
this plant’s name? Is the passion fruit an exotic aphrodisiac? Well, not
exactly but maybe if you’re in the right mood anything can work as an
aphrodisiac...<br />
<br /></div>
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<i>Passiflora</i>
(Passifloraceae), the genus of the passion vine, gained this name due to the
great imagination and devotion of the Portuguese and Spanish Jesuits which
associated most morphological characters of the plant to symbols of the Passion
of Christ. While exploring the exotic tropical rainforests of South-America
they were astonished not only by the beauty and diversity of the plant (<st1:place w:st="on">Northern-Central Brazil</st1:place> is an important hotspot of
diversity for these plants) but also with all the symbolism that they
immediately attributed to the plant. For the Jesuits, the flower of the passion
vine had all the symbols of the Passion of Christ, and so it was named after <i>this</i> passion,
not any other romantic or sensual passion that people might probably think of –
after all it is indeed an exotic and extremely sweet fruit.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKGyIUtZnvsFU81w2gF-x6OWVZ-sJhouYHfJNM38Z3-ncTpBFcYhXuAB4-xDqsZmZCD-TX_nvj4fdmUpnoJETIRGc8oEDo_siCsaxoGu3nLgzbJH2SN2Iv_bi-Qjr7Dg_87PB3BscwUc/s1600/Picture9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyKGyIUtZnvsFU81w2gF-x6OWVZ-sJhouYHfJNM38Z3-ncTpBFcYhXuAB4-xDqsZmZCD-TX_nvj4fdmUpnoJETIRGc8oEDo_siCsaxoGu3nLgzbJH2SN2Iv_bi-Qjr7Dg_87PB3BscwUc/s640/Picture9.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flower diversity in <i>Passiflora</i> sp.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: justify;">So now you are curious about the symbols, and the Jesuits
were indeed very attentive – they looked at all the flower organs finding
explanations for numbers and shapes of most of them. Let’s see…</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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The flower is pentamerous, with <b>5 sepals and 5 petals</b>, representing the <b>10 faithful apostles</b> (excluding Peter, the denier and Judas, the
betrayer); the <b>corona</b> represents the
<b>crown of thorns</b> with which roman
soldiers crowned him as the “King of the Jews”; the <b>ovary</b>, a chalice shaped structure, represents the <b>Holy Grail</b>; the <b>3 stigmas</b> represent the <b>3 nails</b>
used in Christ’s crucifixion and the <b>5
anthers</b> the <b>5 wounds</b> (1 in each
hand and foot and the last one in his chest caused by the Holy Lance). But not
only the floral structures were considered to be the symbols of the Passion of
Christ. The characteristic <b>leaves</b>
with pointed tips resemble the <b>Holy
Lance</b> that confirmed Christ’s death and the <b>tendrils</b> represent the <b>whips</b>
during the flagellation. The colours have also been attributed a meaning, since
many species are <b>white and blue</b>
colors, representing <b>heaven and purity</b>,
and we must not forget the <b>purple</b>,
which was also the colour of the <b>robe</b>
that romans covered Jesus after crowning him.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uhDOJWcsyLJwfAUmkGolkjF9kNVVvx7ddO8xYte4oSRNdk0wKd2HdPVs0wzLr_CPZCGXyFbYCULZk6rMso72RlwfIFObl8uV9zBEjdoppe-IppHCruS3j97QaErmJKAEUaDubaoSf-s/s1600/Picture6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_uhDOJWcsyLJwfAUmkGolkjF9kNVVvx7ddO8xYte4oSRNdk0wKd2HdPVs0wzLr_CPZCGXyFbYCULZk6rMso72RlwfIFObl8uV9zBEjdoppe-IppHCruS3j97QaErmJKAEUaDubaoSf-s/s640/Picture6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The association between the flower and symbols of the Passion of Christ</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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Apart of all the symbolism involving the plant, there are
also interesting characters related with the ecology of the plant that I would
like to share with you. Every single part of it is edible, meaning that this
plant is the herbivore heaven! They can eat the leaves, tendrils, flowers and
there is plenty of nectar in the floral and extra-floral nectaries. To avoid
getting eaten by all the herbivores, <i>Passiflora</i>
seem to have made a deal with the ants by feeding them with nectar from
extra-floral nectaries (usually present in bracts but also in leaves). Likewise,
the ants protect their plant from herbivores and nectar robbers. Also the ants
allow true pollinators to access the floral nectaries, allowing the successful
reproduction of the plant. It sounds beautiful, but it is not as simple as it
might sound – it relates many ant species, so a lot of different behaviours
with different <i>Passiflora</i> species and
environments. In any case, <i>Passiflora</i>
and ants seem to get along very well and it seems to be a fair symbiotic
relationship.</div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4UkLR-yttElNF_e-OZ8S9wNl8vjduMlIdOo2we6CgVJIXk6V-w7bxakp_WExFmh_80mso6C8bmfFmKCjBhwrDn18zCnA7I_jNDwlaBeoabZGQkJqLaDlOVnhUF32_LBnhFsyTkA3Gw/s1600/Picture3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitV4UkLR-yttElNF_e-OZ8S9wNl8vjduMlIdOo2we6CgVJIXk6V-w7bxakp_WExFmh_80mso6C8bmfFmKCjBhwrDn18zCnA7I_jNDwlaBeoabZGQkJqLaDlOVnhUF32_LBnhFsyTkA3Gw/s640/Picture3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ants feeding on nectar from extra-floral nectaries of the bracts of <i>Passiflora</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
After attributing so many symbols to this plant, I wonder what Jesuits thought
noticing so many ants around the vines getting rid of the hungry predators,
protecting their “holy” source in exchange of precious nectar. I will let you
meditate on this, wishing you a blessed Thursday of Corpus Christi.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-80974055353018608632012-06-06T15:19:00.000+01:002012-06-28T10:58:39.074+01:00Long wait, but with new stories to come!<br />
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Dear readers, </div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I am very happy to announce that I am finally back home, and so are the tales!
I have been traveling since my last publication, and I found out later the
impossibility of traveling and getting organized with good stories and pictures
to publish. But I am back now and there is a lot to share! During these trips I
have been to many different environments and seen a lot of beautiful flowers. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Each flower has a story to tell – the story of their past, and I try to
translate them to you. But also because plants have a deep presence in human cultures,
people have interpreted plants and flowers in different ways, giving them
meanings and telling other stories which I found amazing and would be pleased to share with you!</div>
</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
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A new story is ready to be published tomorrow – don’t miss it! <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-38437088716971138262012-01-24T11:18:00.000+00:002012-06-06T15:51:01.002+01:00Myrtaceae and the Bombacaceous-Malvaceae<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Someone brought this for you
today”, he said smiling. It was a flower and it had a smell of challenge too.
It was a big white flower with many long stamens, fused in the base in groups.
The style was sticking out from the middle of the stamens tube and it also has a
profound cup-shaped hypanthim and 5 long white petals. “Humm, stamens fused at
the base with the style like this is a very Malvaceae-like character… But the
most obvious character of this flower is definitely the large number of long
stamens with only one style coming from the middle”, I thought innocently,
“Humm, plus this hypanthium, it looks very Myrtaceous”. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Myrtaceae?! Tremendous fail!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After a while I found out I was
looking at a <i>Bombax anceps</i> flower, a
common tree here in northern <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Thailand</st1:place></st1:country-region>,
belonging to the old Bombacaceae (now Malvaceae – yes, Malvaceae!). The tree is
easily identifiable because of the thorns found in the bark, and at this time
of the year also because of the big and showy white flowers and no leaves (it
is a deciduous tree). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8wbIodqLV4c6JlQLi7HsU9_k7WArXLl7BW3g2O-gk_5eIXnZp4XHmuuqhtlf1BUqD6Tyevj9Xh4WN5jpmBGRUaI4T70LcBeExuhCnLHEq8c-e1Hyp5u5Kf7_FZnqtWTdnaqOXyVA5cQ/s1600/Banceps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD8wbIodqLV4c6JlQLi7HsU9_k7WArXLl7BW3g2O-gk_5eIXnZp4XHmuuqhtlf1BUqD6Tyevj9Xh4WN5jpmBGRUaI4T70LcBeExuhCnLHEq8c-e1Hyp5u5Kf7_FZnqtWTdnaqOXyVA5cQ/s640/Banceps.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Young </span><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Bombax anceps</i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;"> bark and flowers - It actually looks quite Myrtaceous from a distance</span>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
These flowers produce an amazing
smell due to the large amounts of nectar secreted in the morning, attracting
many birds for the pollination daily-service. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5Kt1Mutj8CClkgla9K_Tts0CiVjllPKjeCuslDvJDLtVovsbkrAG6YeuOCgNEiOzuv1Ta-KUNof_BRBOXhPWw9LM6OK4HJ6hyphenhypheniWNYyNZnwoivqe54-QijLhYuHxqwdODwY-pjRK8VU8/s1600/birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="526" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5Kt1Mutj8CClkgla9K_Tts0CiVjllPKjeCuslDvJDLtVovsbkrAG6YeuOCgNEiOzuv1Ta-KUNof_BRBOXhPWw9LM6OK4HJ6hyphenhypheniWNYyNZnwoivqe54-QijLhYuHxqwdODwY-pjRK8VU8/s640/birds.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Evidence of pollinators having nectar of </span><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Bombax ceiba</i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;"> for breakfast</span>
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Everyday I see this small
beautiful tree, but it only started flowering a few days ago, and let me tell
you it is a must-see not only for flower-freaks (like me) but for everyone –
every time I pass by the tree with someone else I hear their “Wow’s”… No
wonder!</div>
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But why was I so confused between
these two families, Myrtaceae and Malvaceae? There should be nothing to be
confused about; in fact they do belong to their own orders, Myrtales and
Malvales, meaning that they are quite different. But they do have similarities
also: both Malvales and Myrtales belong to the Rosids (actually to the same
branch in the Rosids – the Malvids), and that might explain morphological
misunderstandings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReveaOJcy2JFhM-mHHj266SPWYSwQDfe_jWVzoD3AN-zySNVvkPbpCSV-PcPrVhHtBshF3SYz8EBto2DWf1g6JO7CN0MwV78FSguInyMaKKzHg3lyKPJWRS7Zcob7xrAuHef8h7ve9Gs/s1600/malvids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgReveaOJcy2JFhM-mHHj266SPWYSwQDfe_jWVzoD3AN-zySNVvkPbpCSV-PcPrVhHtBshF3SYz8EBto2DWf1g6JO7CN0MwV78FSguInyMaKKzHg3lyKPJWRS7Zcob7xrAuHef8h7ve9Gs/s320/malvids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Malvaceae flowers are
characterized for having a synandrium, a structure where all the stamens are
fused together with the style coming from the middle of the synandrium. Another
good character is the contorted corolla fused basally with the androecium. The
number of stamens is very much variable, ranging from 5 to many, however when
many they are grouped in 5 or 10 groups, depending on the number of whorls (one
in <i>Bombax anceps </i>and two in <i>Bombax ceiba</i>). </div>
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You can probably summarize a
Myrtaceae-like flower with 3 main characters: large hypanthium, a lot of long
(showy) stamens and reduced petals. In Myrtaceae the hypanthium is very much
developed, having a high number of stamens placed at the top (the ring of
stamens). <i>Bombax anceps </i>flowers
reminded me of Myrtaceae flowers because I totally ignored one of these
characters: the petals! But also the stamens are different – in Myrtaceae they
are not fused together, not in groups or in synandria, so why did I think about
Myrtaceae when I looked at the flower? Because of the calyx shape in <i>Bombax anceps</i> flower, which resembles a
hypanthium.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuiFrMAnFCD-Yv-t13d2jdeqcu_HBR04UwzauYOYBMdlS-iYntf3Lq4gFnVvgj9nCyc2AkPETDnrjFOTVOkkJbiRX82ej1084XOM_eEN_JlmOL5OyY4S0-2rVN4pnulGg2uvMM-QzXqs/s1600/myrt_vs_bombax2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsuiFrMAnFCD-Yv-t13d2jdeqcu_HBR04UwzauYOYBMdlS-iYntf3Lq4gFnVvgj9nCyc2AkPETDnrjFOTVOkkJbiRX82ej1084XOM_eEN_JlmOL5OyY4S0-2rVN4pnulGg2uvMM-QzXqs/s640/myrt_vs_bombax2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Find the differences (the </span><i style="font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">B. anceps</i><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;"> flower didn’t have style anymore when I took the picture, but it was long and red as you can probably see in the first picture of this post)</span>
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The hypanthium is a structure sometimes
hard to identify and define, and originating many times misunderstandings on
the interpretation of the morphology of the flower. This means that it is an
important structure to help us to find the big group (Rosids), but we cannot
ignore the other structures. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2117241884101198636.post-78964293727829489572012-01-20T07:27:00.000+00:002012-06-06T15:50:18.526+01:00The Tết’s flower<br />
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Have you been looking at the moon?
It’s getting smaller and smaller and smaller…The New Moon is coming very soon, and
so is the Lunar New Year! To celebrate this very special
date, I will dedicate a post to a very special flower used in the Vietnamese (and
maybe in other nations?) traditional celebrations of the Lunar New Year, or “Tết”. The
first time I saw these flowers was here in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Thailand</st1:country-region></st1:place> and they kept my attention
because of weirdness of their looks...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj0vwY7c0rgZ-MNuNf4632mrV9EnG9cNfFWbMbyDyBSIZJ3H1_W8IHv9kBZjXBgClhnRbdxX3h6HTzwUQ5OQ2frR0mkPayUh8anb_ITVQkzbdkHhGozX2CrM5Yy84j0XADM-jmM5bTMk/s1600/weird+ochnaceae.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBj0vwY7c0rgZ-MNuNf4632mrV9EnG9cNfFWbMbyDyBSIZJ3H1_W8IHv9kBZjXBgClhnRbdxX3h6HTzwUQ5OQ2frR0mkPayUh8anb_ITVQkzbdkHhGozX2CrM5Yy84j0XADM-jmM5bTMk/s640/weird+ochnaceae.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What else can I say? It looks just weird to me!</td></tr>
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Since the first time I saw this flower I wondered to which family it belongs to, but the morphological clues didn’t ring me any bell - at all! I had no idea about the family of this plant. Until one day, when my Vietnamese herpetologist friend suggested me to talk about one of the most famous plants in Vietnam – <i>Ochna integerrima</i>. I was very much surprised when I realized that it was the flower I was wondering about for so many weeks! Thank you in advance for this, Ha. </div>
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<i>Ochna </i>belongs to its own family, Ochnaceae and no wonder I could not identify this family – I have to admit I knew very little about Ochnaceae until now! But now I can say that I know little enough to dedicate one entire post to these flowers. <i>Ochna integerrima</i> is the most celebrated plant in Vietnam, because it blooms during the Tết, having a special meaning for Vietnamese culture. The Vietnamese believe that these bright yellow flowers bring luck and prosperity for the coming year.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SVpUi9gPI54H52SGa5r9_iYsdEonSu_YoaKYNcFMLyBjuoqwMjOuF5vniQgJxBYlRADu_kNne7CVR1itSrKgDW_sxkH-eSqOjEsgSx09l8KaDMbvhNTNA3fCl2lsi_PMhMTp8mSMahE/s1600/flower_ochna-integerrima-6566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2SVpUi9gPI54H52SGa5r9_iYsdEonSu_YoaKYNcFMLyBjuoqwMjOuF5vniQgJxBYlRADu_kNne7CVR1itSrKgDW_sxkH-eSqOjEsgSx09l8KaDMbvhNTNA3fCl2lsi_PMhMTp8mSMahE/s640/flower_ochna-integerrima-6566.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: <a href="http://www.freephotos.biz/">http://www.freephotos.biz</a></td></tr>
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Another curiosity about this
plant came up while I was googling “<i>Ochna
integerrima</i>”, coming up automatically “Vietnamese Mickey Mouse Plant”… This
common name made sense to me as I had seen the plant already, but for those who have
never seen or heard about it before it might sound strange. This plant produces
some beautiful round-shaped black berries on a bright-red head-like receptacle.
So probably, some cartoon-lover botanist saw Mickey Mouse’s ears on the berries
and decided to name it this way!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyIpRrRo79UNIudKQTHn72ZtABPmBUFGAupeJFLzY_3PWJKm1IuwaL6pYLojiu0FhSfUVdZuHS85hvKKD8E4jkc2KdRQwT1vfY89EDegJw2fvLiV1BuYCGNw9KvOYiH6uC7FhQz4jGJ8/s1600/ochna+mickey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyIpRrRo79UNIudKQTHn72ZtABPmBUFGAupeJFLzY_3PWJKm1IuwaL6pYLojiu0FhSfUVdZuHS85hvKKD8E4jkc2KdRQwT1vfY89EDegJw2fvLiV1BuYCGNw9KvOYiH6uC7FhQz4jGJ8/s640/ochna+mickey.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fair enough!</td></tr>
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After what happened I had to
search about this family and will give you now some tips so we can all easily identify
Ochnaceae. No more excuses! The flowers are usually pentamerous, having 5
sepals (usually enlarging in fructification) and 5 free petals (often caducous).
The number of carpels is variable, sometimes fused having a terminal style, or if
free with a gynobasic style.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrLEuKyMr0hjUY68_p7ESCRKQqgeUanaYp03tSQxqzeGDRrA7ZgJrTRd8qvezJPfLxaaPJJh__Zbjvg7yhaLbAPPXQ6gOxOr9WFIh1NDfdML9kSroUmzKTgqM31pwwLmdYONKubgSlTI/s1600/legend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrLEuKyMr0hjUY68_p7ESCRKQqgeUanaYp03tSQxqzeGDRrA7ZgJrTRd8qvezJPfLxaaPJJh__Zbjvg7yhaLbAPPXQ6gOxOr9WFIh1NDfdML9kSroUmzKTgqM31pwwLmdYONKubgSlTI/s640/legend.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, I didn’t find any flower with the petals as they are caducous and I only found later stages, already forming fruit</span>
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So now that we all know how an
Ochnaceae flower looks like, I would like to wish you happy celebrations for
those who celebrate. For those who do not usually celebrate, I suggest you to spend
some time looking at the sky for a change, trying to find the New Moon!</div>
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Happy Lunar New Year everyone! =)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5